The preferred role and perceived performance of the welfare state: European welfare attitudes from a multidimensional perspective

Femke Roosma; Wim van Oorschot; John Gelissen

doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.12.005

The preferred role and perceived performance of the welfare state: European welfare attitudes from a multidimensional perspective

Soc Sci Res. 2014 Mar:44:200-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.12.005. Epub 2013 Dec 23.

Authors

Femke Roosma¹, Wim van Oorschot², John Gelissen³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sociology, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Centre for Sociological Research (CESO), Leuven University, Parkstraat 45 box 3601, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 24468444
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.12.005

Abstract

Welfare state support has two core dimensions: attitudes about what the welfare state should do and beliefs about its actual performance. People can combine any position on one dimension with any position on the other, yielding four opinion clusters: people can combine preferences for a relatively strong role of the welfare state with a perception of a relatively low or high welfare state performance; likewise, people preferring a small role of the welfare state can perceive a high or low performing welfare state. We apply Latent Class Factor Analysis to data of 22 European countries from the 2008/9 European Social Survey. We find that each of the four clusters contains a substantial proportion of respondents that differs between welfare regimes. In addition, cluster membership is also related to covariates that measure people's structural positions and ideological preferences.

Keywords: European Social Survey; Latent class analysis; Multidimensional; Public opinion; Welfare attitudes; Welfare state.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Attitude*
Europe
Federal Government*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Perception
Social Welfare*
Young Adult