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The Public (Mis)Understanding of Fiscal Trade-offs – Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Poland

Author

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  • Jakub Sawulski
  • Aneta Kiełczewska

Abstract

The literature on fiscal attitudes offers evidence of an interesting pattern: citizens simultaneously want higher government spending and lower taxes. However, recent studies argue that this may be just an artifact arising from misleading survey design. When properly informed about the fiscal trade-offs, citizens express much more coherent views. We contribute to the discussion using a survey of 1,800 adult citizens in Poland. By a split-sample experiment, we show that the answers about the desired role of the state vary greatly depending on whether the question includes a reference to taxes. Using the regression framework, we identify gender, educational level and individual income as significant determinants of the scale of misunderstanding of fiscal trade-offs.

Suggested Citation

  • Jakub Sawulski & Aneta Kiełczewska, 2025. "The Public (Mis)Understanding of Fiscal Trade-offs – Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Poland," Ekonomista, Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne, issue 1, pages 82-106.
    • Handle: RePEc:aoq:ekonom:y:2025:i:1:p:82-106
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    public opinion; policy preferences; survey experiments; fiscal attitudes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General

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