Compassionate Politics: Support for Old‐Age Programs Among the Non Elderly

Abstract

This study examines the existence of compassionate support for old‐age programs such as Social Security and Medicare among the non‐elderly. Past research has focused on merit and equality as a basis for support of social welfare programs by examining views of recipients’ deservingness; in contrast, this study considers the extent of program support based on recipients’ perceived need. Analysis of data from the 1984 National Election Study and from a local survey (Suffolk County, New York, 1989) shows that non‐elderly individuals who view older people as financially impoverished are more likely to support government benefits for the aged. Moreover, compassionate support for old‐age programs is distinct from liberal ideology; indeed, political conservatives, not liberals, are most likely to support such programs out of compassion for older people, a finding at odds with Sniderman’s (Sniderman & Carmines, 1997) notion of principled conservatism. The analysis also revealed that response to elderly need does not convey the effects of long‐term and family‐based interests; this result substantiates that support of old‐age programs can be considered as other‐regarding (i.e., reflecting a concern for individuals that is unrelated to one’s personal circumstances). Short‐term and long‐term interests tend to eclipse rather than promote compassionate support of old‐age programs, consistent with the findings of traditional research on self‐interest.