The impact of the great recession on social preferences and attitudes in Europe

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact economic perceptions have on social preferences and whether this impact has changed during the course of the Great Recession. I begin by documenting the development social preferences and economic perceptions take during the period analyzed (2002-2014). In the crisis year almost all of these variables exhibit a decreasing trend. There have been evidences in the literature for a stark impact of economic perceptions on a multiplicity of attitudes. However, the analysis of the development of this impact during a recession represents a gap in the literature. My findings underline the powerful role economic perceptions play on three branches: Trust in policy, immigration and redistribution. During the Great Recession the impact of assessments of the economy did mostly stay stable, while economic self-assessments had a significantly increasing impact. Given the increased anxiety during times of economic turmoil, it is no surprise that the impact of economic self-assessments on social preferences and attitudes got intensified.

Date of Award	17 Oct 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Jorge Teixeira Marques Afonso Alves (Supervisor)