Fiona Seiffert

This study examines public support for redistributive education policies, focusing on free private tutoring for socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Germany. Using a vignette-based survey experiment with a nationwide sample drawn from a probability-based offline-recruited panel ( N = 1331), we investigated whether support varies depending on whether access to tutoring is conditional on students’ academic performance. Policy support was measured along three dimensions: agreement with the policy, perceived fairness, and evaluation of beneficiary parents. The results show broad baseline support for providing free tutoring to children with low socioeconomic status. However, support is significantly higher when access is conditional on poor academic performance. Conditionality also increases perceived fairness and leads to more positive evaluations of beneficiary parents, suggesting that respondents interpret performance-based eligibility as a signal of deservingness and need. Inequality-oriented dispositions are consistently related to policy attitudes: Left-leaning respondents are more supportive, whereas respondents with higher social dominance orientation or stronger malicious envy are less supportive. Instrumental factors such as income and education play only a limited role. Overall, support for redistributive education policies varies more with ideological orientations than with respondents’ material position. Conditionality increases support but does not substantially reduce ideological divides. These results contribute to broader debates on equity and public support for welfare and education policies.

Psychedelic drugs, particularly taking small amounts of psychedelics in a cyclical pattern over days (so-called microdosing), have garnered growing scientific and public interest, but representative data on different dosage levels is scarce. To better understand this trend, we surveyed a nationwide sample of 11,299 adults in Germany. The survey assessed lifetime and past six-month psychedelic use by dosage as well as socio-demographic variables (sex, age, education, employment status, household equivalence income, partner arrangements, and place of residence). Results show that 5.0% of respondents self-reported lifetime psychedelic use, while 0.7% reported past six-month use. Medium to high dosing was more prevalent than microdosing. Moreover, high probabilities of using multiple forms of psychedelics were uncovered. We also observed variation in use across socio-demographic groups. For example, psychedelics use was less likely in females than males, and older than younger respondents. Past six-month microdosing was less likely in rural areas, and past six-month medium to high dosing was less prevalent in individuals with higher income or who live with a partner. This study shows limited support for widespread use in Germany and highlights diverse usage patterns across socio-demographics. These findings can inform policies, especially considering the overlap in usage of various substances.