Under Pressure: Household Energy Costs and Satisfaction with Democracy

Household energy prices have emerged as a central channel through which citizens experience contemporary economic uncertainty amid geopolitical shocks and the green transition. Yet we know little about whether these costs shape political attitudes such as satisfaction with democracy (SWD), and through what channels. This paper investigates the political consequences of energy-price salience in Germany, focusing on the mechanisms through which citizens translate cost signals into evaluations of democratic performance. Drawing on original survey data (N = 3000) and a preregistered survey experiment, I show that exposure to information about rising energy costs produces moderate but statistically meaningful declines in SWD. This corroborates evidence from a related study based on granular observational data and quasi-experimental identification. Probing mechanisms, I find that beyond immediate pocketbook concerns, respondents extrapolate from energy-price signals to the broader economy, expressing diffuse insecurity about the future. These patterns highlight how seemingly narrow household cost pressures can spill over into system-level evaluations, underscoring the importance of managing consumer-facing costs to sustain democratic support during the energy transition.