When Economic and Health Crises Collide: The Effect of Covid-19 on Political Attitudes

Gianmarco Daniele, Andrea Martinangeli, Francesco Passarelli, Willem Sas () and Lisa Windsteiger

Working Papers from Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance

Abstract: To investigate how a unique combination of health and economic crises can shape political attitudes, we conducted a large online survey experiment during the ï¬ rst wave of the Covid-19 epidemic (June). With a randomised survey flow we varied whether respondents are given Covid-related treatment questions. This design allows us to analyse health and economic effects separately, as well as a national unity component. We ï¬ nd that the crisis has severely undermined trust in politicians, the media and the EU, and has sapped support for social welfare spending ï¬ nanced by taxes. We also uncover a rallying effect around (scientiï¬ c) expertise and competence, combined with populist policies losing ground. Lastly, we show that the negative effects are mostly due to economic insecurity, whilst the rallying effects are due to health concerns and beliefs in the importance of national unity to navigate the crisis.

Keywords: Covid-19; Institutional Trust; Political Attitudes; Online Survey Experiment; European Union; Welfare; Taxation; Populism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 H51 H53 H55 O52 P52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2020-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-soc
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