It is a lie, but if the average person in most places was actually given the policies they believe they want, things would also get worse for them all the time.

They want the govt to give them stuff (free healthcare, education, housing, etc), this produces shortages & reduces quality & drives up other costs, they want govt to mandate higher pay & better conditions, lots of people end up out of work, so they want the govt to give them more stuff... Etc etc