Language is central to political representation, yet the role of dialects remains understudied. This study examines how dialects are associated with citizens’ feelings of and preferences for political representation. We argue that dialect use can be a part of social identity: politicians who share their constituents’ dialect may signal local attachment and social proximity. However, dialects also carry social stigma, potentially leading to underrepresentation in a political sphere dominated by standard language. Using original survey data from Germany, we test whether dialect-speaking citizens (1) feel less represented and (2) prefer politicians who speak a dialect. We find support for both: dialect speakers feel less represented and have stronger preferences for dialect-speaking representatives. These results suggest that dialects can serve as a subtle but meaningful form of descriptive representation. Our findings underscore the role of linguistic identity in political inclusion and call for greater attention to language in research on political behaviour.
Gross et al. (Fri,) studied this question.