Survey study reveals distinct preferences for democratic representation across wealth levels among citizens and legislators, highlighting how economic disparities shape political process attitudes.
In this paper, we study if and how wealth is associated with preferences for democratic representation among citizens and legislators. Based on two parallel surveys conducted in 2022 – a representative population survey and a survey of members of the German Bundestag and state parliaments – we find clear associations: Individuals with low wealth favour more responsive and inclusive legislators whereas highly wealthy individuals prefer strong leadership and favour legislators to be qualified. This insight implies three important contributions: First, we corroborate recent findings that process preferences have an instrumental dimension as citizens appear to favour processes that they consider to be suited to pursuing their interests. Second, wealth is not only associated with distinct patterns of policy preferences but also with process preferences. Third, by highlighting the role of wealth, we extend research on unequal democracy which has largely focused on the role of income or education.
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Reiser et al. (2026) studied this question.
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