Class Identity, Working Class Appeals and Political Decision-Making

Economic inequalities have intensified in advanced democracies. Yet, despite widespread concern about inequality, redistributive policy change remains limited. We argue that one potential answer lies in the supply side of politics, specifically in the rhetorical strategies elites use to (de)politicize class. While segments of the socio-cultural middle class have emerged as new allies for redistribution, many working class individuals feel alienated from politics despite supporting redistributive measures. Political actors however, often fail to activate these electoral potentials. In this study, we focus on symbolic working class appeals as a rhetorical tool that could increase support for redistributive policies. We ask: how do working class appeals increase support for redistribution?
Previous research demonstrates that symbolic references to workers increase candidate support and that appeals can resonate even with non-group members, when the targeted group is viewed favorably. Yet, existing studies tell us little about whether working class appeals influence support for redistributive policies. Our study addresses this gap by testing the effectiveness of occupationally framed working class appeals on support for economic redistributive policies in a direct democratic context. We develop a theoretical framework that distinguishes three mechanisms through which class appeals can operate: material class interest, class identity and group affect. While working class voters may respond through self-interest and identity, other groups may support redistributive policies when they hold favorable attitudes toward the working class.
We test our expectations with a survey experiment that asks about hypothetical choices in a Swiss direct-democratic vote on two redistributive proposals: a minimum wage initiative and a wealth tax. The experiment is embedded in a two-wave panel survey in Switzerland. Respondents are randomly assigned to one of four conditions: a baseline condition with no appeal, a working class appeal, a policy-based appeal, or a combination of both. By combining randomized treatments with pre-treatment measures of class identity and group affect towards the working class, we assess the mechanism through which class appeals operate.
In a pilot study (n = 940) focusing on the minimum wage initiative, we find that working class appeals are particularly effective among respondents who identify as working class, and that combined class and policy-based appeals are perceived as most credible and persuasive.