Electoral Cleavages and Socioeconomic Inequality in Germany, 1949–2017

Abstract

This paper explores the changing relationships between party support, electoral cleavages and socioeconomic inequality in Germany since 1949. We analyze the link between voting behaviors and socioeconomic characteristics of voters. In the 1950s-1970s, the vote for left parties was strongly associated with lower education and lower income voters. Since the 1980s voting for left parties has become associated with higher education voters. In effect, intellectual and economic elites seem to have drifted apart, with high-education elites voting for the left and high-income elites voting for the right. We analyze how this process is related to the occurrence of new parties since 1980 and the recent rise of populism. For comments and discussions, we are grateful to Amory Gethin, Julian Heid, and Clara MartínezToledano, We thank Clara Bohle, Larissa Fuchs, and Severin Süss for outstanding research assistance.