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Does information about inequality and discrimination in early child care affect policy preferences?

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  • Hermes, Henning
  • Lergetporer, Philipp
  • Mierisch, Fabian
  • Schwerdt, Guido
  • Wiederhold, Simon

Abstract

We investigate public preferences for equity-enhancing policies in access to early child care, using a survey experiment with a representative sample of the German population (n ≈ 4, 800). We observe strong misperceptions about migrant-native inequalities in early child care that vary by respondents' age and right-wing voting preferences. Randomly providing information about the actual extent of inequalities has a nuanced impact on the support for equity-enhancing policy reforms: it increases support for respondents who initially underestimated these inequalities, and tends to decrease support for those who initially overestimated them. This asymmetric effect leads to a more consensual policy view, substantially decreasing the polarization in policy support between under- and overestimators. Our results suggest that correcting misperceptions can align public policy preferences, potentially leading to less polarized debates about how to address inequalities and discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Hermes, Henning & Lergetporer, Philipp & Mierisch, Fabian & Schwerdt, Guido & Wiederhold, Simon, 2024. "Does information about inequality and discrimination in early child care affect policy preferences?," IWH Discussion Papers 2/2024, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:iwhdps:281780
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    Cited by:

    1. Hermes, Henning & Lergetporer, Philipp & Mierisch, Fabian & Peter, Frauke & Wiederhold, Simon, 2023. "Discrimination on the Child Care Market: A Nationwide Field Experiment," CEPR Discussion Papers 18113, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Hermes, Henning & Lergetporer, Philipp & Peter, Frauke & Wiederhold, Simon, 2021. "Behavioral Barriers and the Socioeconomic Gap in Child Care Enrollment," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 16/2021, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • C99 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Other

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