Looking Competent Does Not Appeal to All Voters Equally: The Role of Social Class and Politicians' Facial Appearance for Voting Likelihood.

Voters generally value competence in politicians. Four studies, all conducted in Germany, show that this is especially pronounced in people of higher compared with lower social class. The first study, with a representative sample ( = 2239), found that the reported importance of competence in politicians increased with increasing socioeconomic status (SES).

Jumping on the Bandwagon: The Role of Voters' Social Class in Poll Effects in the Context of the 2021 German Federal Election.

Unlabelled: Published findings of opinion polls are an important part of the political coverage before elections. Thus, researchers have long investigated whether the perceived popularity of political parties can lead to even more voters following this majority. However, empirical findings on this so-called political bandwagon effect are mixed.