5. Illustrations of political resentment among disadvantaged people

People who face socio-economic disadvantages tend to be underrepresented in politics. Existing research suggests that this should make them particularly resentful towards politics. Yet, empirical studies on how resentment might express itself among them remains rare. This chapter seeks to address this gap in the literature through the analysis of survey data as well as focus groups conducted among socio-economically disadvantaged people in Brussels, Belgium. The survey results show that socio-economically disadvantaged people are generally more resentful, but also underline the difficulty to reach this population and the necessity to combine it with qualitative research methods. Our analyses of the focus groups show, first, that the objects of participants’ resentment were mostly local actors and that expressions of resentment seemed tied to the experience of concrete problems. Second, even though resentment manifested itself in frustration, disappointment, and, at times, indifference towards politics, it also went hand in hand with at least some hope that politics could offer a solution to societal challenges. Most of all, participants wanted to be heard and they generally wanted local politicians and bureaucrats to just come to talk to them. We discuss the implications these findings have for the empirical study of political resentment among people experiencing socio-economic disadvantages.