Zwischen Staatsbedürftigkeit und Marktaffinität. Beeinflussen Wohneigentum und Erbschaften sozialpolitische Präferenzen?

Despite considerable inequalities, the long period of prosperity has led to an increase of wealth and assets in broad parts of the population. The article builds on the thesis that this “collective upgrading” is accompanied by a change of preferences concerning the role of the state and the market in matters of social security. On the basis of this assumption, we ask whether there is a relationship between home ownership and the receipt of a larger inheritance/gift on the one hand, and social policy preferences on the other hand. In order to answer this question, we analyze—based on the German Socio-Economic Panel—group-specific preferences of taking responsibility for financial security in old age in Germany in 2002 as well as their change between 1997 and 2002. Our results not only show that homeowners and homebuyers are more sceptical towards state solutions and more affine towards market solutions in 2002 than tenants, but also that in the course of time the former more strongly tend towards market solutions than the latter. The same is valid for the difference between heirs/donees and non-heirs/non-donees. Therefore, it can be concluded that the increase of wealth and the privatisation of retirement provision were an essential precondition for an increasing scepticism towards governmental redistribution ambitions.