Who likes tracking? Evidence on institutional feedback in education policy

Education is recognized as a core component of the welfare state, yet we know little about how existing institutional arrangements shape public support for education policies. We test policy feedback theory in compulsory education, a policy domain where empirical evidence is still limited. Drawing on 4382 Swiss citizens from eight cantons, we field an innovative visual vignette experiment using directed graphs that mirror official schematics of school structures. Respondents rate their support (0–10 scale) for fictitious education systems varying across seven policy dimensions that affect educational inequality. We focus on tracking, the fundamental structuring principle of education systems, and find that, first, tracking is indeed the most consequential attribute, raising support by 1.05 points. Respondents exposed to tracking in their own canton assign an additional 0.53 points to tracked systems, which is consistent with self-reinforcing familiarity feedback , as they show higher levels of support for the visible features of the system they live under. Second, support for tracking does vary by income, education, beliefs, and values while at the same time remaining positive across all subgroups. These patterns reflect boundary conditions of the familiarity channel rather than separate mechanisms. Third, other institutional features have comparatively modest effects, if any. Our results highlight citizens’ attachment to familiar policy designs and its implications for education reform, with broader implications for the study of education as social policy.