Responsivität im polarisierten Pluralismus – Teil 2: Die Rolle der Parteien

Abstract

In empirical research on political representation, the congruence between the attitudes of voters and those elected is considered a good measure of political responsiveness . Using the example of four selected political orientations, this article examines the congruence between the preferences of the candidates nominated by the six parties represented in the Bundestag and the population for the election years 2009 to 2021 . Different findings emerge for the four attitudes . Across all parties, there are large similarities between the political preferences of voters and politicians . The positions of voters and politicians on the left-right scale and their attitudes towards climate protection are rather similar, while a more marked difference characterizes the attitudes towards controlling migration . The preference for higher social spending or tax cuts lies somewhere in between . The differences between the political con- victions of SPD and Linke voters and politicians are more pronounced than those of the other parties . In addition to party preference, the level of education has the strongest influ- ence on the distance between voters and politicians .