Gender equality frames do not impact public support for economic relief policy in times of crisis: A survey experiment

Abstract This article investigates the effect of gender equality frames on public support for economic relief policies in the context of the Covid‐19 pandemic and economic crisis. Data stem from a survey experiment conducted in the German‐speaking part of Switzerland during Summer 2021. In the survey, a representative sample of the population was asked to read descriptive texts randomly using gender equality or universal frames about two different economic relief policies, before rating the policies. Results show that gender equality frames do not have a significant effect on public support for the economic relief policies during the crisis. This paper solidifies previous findings regarding emergency settings and public policy support by showing that a crisis setting strongly increases public policy support.