Does Parental Unemployment Cause Right-Wing Extremism?

Arbeitspapier

Recent years have witnessed a rise in right-wing extremism among German youth and young adults. This paper investigates the extent to which the experience of parental unemployment during childhood affects young people's far right-wing attitudes and xenophobia. Estimates from three German data sets show a positive relationship between growing up with unemployed parents and right-wing extremism, with xenophobia in particular. This paper uses stark diŽerences in unemployment levels between East and West Germany, both before and after reunification, to investigate a causal relationship. Instrumental variables estimates suggest strong and significant effects of parental unemployment on right-wing extremism. Various panel estimates also point to a positive relationship. The results are consistent with classical theories of economic interest and voting behavior which predict that persons who develop feelings of economic insecurity are more susceptible to right-wing extremism and anti-foreign sentiments.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: DIW Discussion Papers ; No. 666

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Capitalist Systems: Political Economy ; Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior ; Single Equation Models; Single Variables: Panel Data Models; Spatio-temporal Models
• Subject: Right-wing extremism ; unemployment ; instrumental variables estimations ; panel estimators ; intergenerational links ; Radikalismus ; Faschismus ; Jugendliche ; Familiensoziologie ; Arbeitslosigkeit ; Deutschland ; Alte Bundesländer ; Neue Bundesländer

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Siedler, Thomas
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2007

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/18398
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET