Economic Conditions, Unemployment and Perceived Government Accountability

Abstract

When it comes to salient political issues, economic conditions and unemployment have been at the top of the list in Germany for quite some time. Especially when elections are imminent these topics gain tremendous importance, because perceptions of the economic situation as well as personal experience with economic hardship (like unemployment) are often believed to be important determinants of voting behaviour. Although the federal elections of 2002 and 2005 cannot be cited as prime examples of German ‘economy-driven elections’ (other issues like the Iraq Crisis in 2002 and the rather unusual political circumstances surrounding the unscheduled 2005 elections were in the foreground) economic perceptions did have significant effects on voting decisions. Based on data from a 2002–2005 panel survey carried out during election time, this article takes a closer look at these effects. We furthermore analyse the extent to which they vary by attributed government accountability for the economy. Attention is also focused on significant differences between East and West Germany.