Public Opinion on State Responsibility for Minimum Income Protection

Abstract

In this article I investigate attitudes towards a subfield of European welfare states in comparative perspective: minimum income protection. My goal is to demonstrate that certain socio-economic characteristics matter universally for attitude formation, but that their impact varies according to specific welfare state institutions. Analysing poverty risks and the structural position of minimum income protection schemes in the welfare state, I hypothesize that attitudes may be more polarized in generous welfare states than in less generous states. Additionally, I assume that labour market performance may have an influence on attitudes, leading to more sympathetic positions towards state responsibility in times of high unemployment. Using data from Eurobarometer 56.1 (2001) and performing country-wise regressions, I demonstrate that individual socio-economic traits impact on attitudes depending on national contexts. Combining preferences and degrees of polarization shows that attitudes might be formed in the interplay between welfare state and labour market.