Are the underprivileged really that economically ‘leftist’? Attitudes towards economic redistribution and the welfare state in Flanders

According to S. M. Lipset, the working classes are authoritarian in the cultural domain, but leftist in the economic domain as the interests of the underprivileged make them inclined to support redistributive politics. These findings have been repeated in an extensive body of research. In our analysis using Flemish (Belgian) data (N =1,577), we examine the economic orientations of the underprivileged, more specifically their attitudes towards social inequality, economic redistribution and welfare state politics. We found that many respondents (especially among the underprivileged) express complaints against social inequality, while at the same time rejecting the arrangements of the welfare state. We argue that it is inappropriate to consider this economic orientation as a specific ideological doctrine. Rather it should be considered as a syndrome that can be labelled ‘economic populism’. Economic populism is caused by feelings of social discontent, such as defeatism and political distrust. The methodological and theoretical implications of these findings will be discussed.