The Big Question
Why do voters agree to bear the costs of bailing out other countries? Despite public opinion's prominence in eurozone bailout debates, voter preferences remained unclear.
Our Clues
We analyzed survey data from Germany—the country with the largest share of EU financial rescue fund responsibility.
What We Found
Individuals' economic standing didn't strongly predict their stance on bailouts. Instead, social dispositions like altruism and cosmopolitanism robustly correlated with support for them.
The Implication
The divide reflects foreign policy tensions—not domestic winners/losers dynamics—suggesting the bailout debate is fundamentally about international concerns versus national interests.
