Skewed perspectives: Media Narratives on wealth-based taxation in German speaking countries

Rising wealth inequality is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century, threatening both equal opportunity and the foundations of democratic governance. Yet calls for taxing wealth remain limited, even though such measures could help curb inequality. Recognising the central role of media in shaping public opinion, this article investigates how narratives around wealth taxation are constructed and circulated in the media. Focusing on German-speaking countries—where wealth inequality is particularly pronounced—we employ a mixed-methods approach that combines structural topic modeling with qualitative narrative analysis. Our study identifies ten distinct economic narratives. Anti-tax narratives dominate public discourse, often questioning the feasibility of wealth taxation or framing pro-tax arguments as ideologically driven. In contrast, pro-tax narratives appear less frequently and are primarily oriented around principles of fairness and the need for systemic reform. The findings highlight notable differences in the prevalence and evolution of these narratives across countries and over time, but overall, a skewed perspective on wealth-based taxation.