Income Redistribution income is a main characteristic of the modern welfarestate. With the latest reforms in the social security system, the German governmentpassed legislation implying less redistribution towards citizens withlow incomes. In light of the heated public debate, the author asks whetherHartz IV-like reforms really mirror the general perception of governmentresponsibilities. Analyzing pooled survey data, she investigates determinantsof West Germans preferences for income redistribution and detects a pronounceddownward trend over time. Since the trend strongly differs fromthat of other democratic countries and since strong fluctuations in the early1990s are observed, the author investigates whether the German Reunificationmight account for country-specific differences. By means of a politicoeconomicapproach, hypotheses are developed and preferences are linked tothe personal income situation, economic growth or social attitudes. While themicro-econometric analysis identifies a Reunification effect, general findingsare of relevance to all parties interested in learning more about the Germansperception of the welfare state - including policy makers.