Who is afraid of descriptive representation? Politicians and citizens’ concepts of representation

The 'politics of presence' literature has challenged the idea that representation does not depend on who the representatives are. Groups that have experienced and continue to experience disadvantage benefit from greater numerical representation because it increases the likelihood that their views will be heard and that the agenda will be broadened. However, it is still controversial which groups deserve descriptive representation and to what extent it changes policy. In this paper we analyze the views of MPs and citizens on these questions. Do they support descriptive representation for some groups but not for others? What are the drivers of more supportive or more cautious views? To answer these questions, we draw on an original elite survey from Germany and combine it with a representative sample of citizens. Among politicians, there are clear differences along the left-right axis, but these are attenuated by gender. Female politicians have a much more positive view of descriptive representation - and not only for women. Among citizens, the differences point in a similar direction, although they are less pronounced.