Replication Data for: Narratives of Backlash? Perceptions of Changing Status Hierarchies in Open-Ended Survey Responses

It is widely accepted in political science – and remarkably established in public discourse – that status anxieties fuel a far right backlash against progressive politics. This narrative suggests that right-wing conservatives perceive the status of women, racial, or sexual minorities as threatening. Using open-ended survey questions fielded in Germany, we show that women and minorities indeed figure in people's perceptions of status hierarchies, but in very specific ways: First, overall, people still perceive status as largely socioeconomically determined. Second, sociocultural groups figure in perceptions of who is gaining/losing status, less so in perceptions of the top/bottom of society. Third, more than conservative voters, it is social progressives who mention women and minorities as \"winners\". While on race/ethnicity, we find evidence for a backlash, on gender and sexuality we find more evidence for a progressive momentum. This matters for progressive politics today and for how we empirically study status concerns.

在政治学研究领域，地位焦虑催生极右翼对进步政治的反弹已是学界共识，且这一叙事在公共话语中亦得到充分印证。该叙事认为，右翼保守派将女性、种族及性少数群体的地位攀升视作对自身地位的威胁。本研究借助在德国开展的开放式调查问卷，发现女性与少数群体确实纳入民众对社会地位层级的认知范畴，但具体呈现方式颇具特殊性：其一，整体而言，民众仍普遍认为社会地位主要由社会经济因素所决定；其二，社会文化群体更多被民众纳入「地位升降者」的认知框架中，而非社会顶层与底层群体的认知范畴；其三，相较于保守派选民，社会进步派更倾向于将女性与少数群体视为「地位赢家」。尽管在种族/族裔维度上，我们找到了支持反弹叙事的实证证据，但在性别与性向维度上，更多证据则指向进步主义的发展势头。这一研究发现对于当下的进步政治实践，以及我们如何实证开展地位焦虑相关议题的研究均具有重要价值。