Out of Step or Leading the Parade? Public Opinion about Income Support Policy in Alberta, 1995 and 2004

Abstract

This essay examines changing public opinion on a contentious political topic in the province of Alberta, namely, the two waves of “welfare reform” initiated by the Conservative government from the mid-1990s onwards. Province-wide public opinion data collected in 1995 and 2004 are compared to determine whether support for government spending on social assistance decreased following a decade of Conservative government preoccupation with deficit/debt reduction, or increased because the deficit had been eliminated, the provincial debt was about to be cleared, and the government began asking how budget surpluses should be managed. We find that support for social assistance increased, substantially, and among all population sub-groups. In fact, even back in 1995, there was surprisingly little support for cuts to welfare spending. The implications of this disconnect between public preferences and government policies for low-income Albertans and other citizens are discussed.