What Makes People Worry about the Welfare State? A Three-Country Experiment

Abstract

Welfare states are exposed to a host of cost-inducing ‘reform pressures’. An experiment implemented in Germany, Norway and Sweden tests how variousreform pressure framesaffect perceptions about the future financial sustainability of the welfare state. Such perceptions have been shown to moderate electoral punishment for welfare reform, but little is known about their origins. Hypotheses are formulated in dialogue with newer research on welfare state change, as well as with older theory expecting more stability in policy and attitudes (the ‘new politics’ framework). Research drawing on ‘deservingness theory’ is also consulted. The results suggest large variations in impact across treatments. The most influential path to effective pressure framing is to ‘zoom in’ on specific economic pressures linked to undeserving groups (above all immigration, but also to some extent low employment). Conversely, a message emphasizing pressure linked to a very deserving group (population aging) had little effect. A second conceivable path to pressure framing entails ‘zooming out’ – making messages span a diverse and more broadly threatening set of challenges. This possibility, however, received weaker support.

Healthcare chauvinism during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…These experimental studies consistently show that majority members regard ethnic minorities and recent immigrants as less deserving of welfare (Gilens 1996;Ford 2016; Hjorth 2016; Kootstra 2016; Reeskens and van der Meer 2019). A related line of survey experimental work demonstrates that majority members support for universal welfare policies declines if typical benefits claimants are portrayed as immigrants (Bay and Pedersen 2006;Bay, Finseraas, and Pedersen 2016;Goerres, Karlsen, and Kumlin 2020). By experimentally disentangling length of residence and ethnic background, experimental studies on welfare deservingness demonstrate that immigrants are regarded as less deserving because of both reciprocity concerns and racismalthough the racism uncovered by these studies does not disentangle stereotypes about ethnic minorities being bad citizens (e.g.…”

The Electoral Supporter Base of the Alternative for Germany

“…The German survey was part of a comparative design, see Goerres et al. (forthcoming) for more details.…”

Influencing Elite Opinion on Gender Equality through Framing: A Survey Experiment of Elite Support for Corporate Board Gender Quotas

“…A common example is that people are much more inclined to accept a Ku Klux Klan rally when the news report is framed in terms of free speech than when it is framed in terms of public safety concerns (Nelson et al 1997). Such framing effects are found in numerous studies, for instance, in regard to framing deservingness to win support for welfare state retrenchment (Slothuus 2007), and more recently, when different welfare reform pressure frames makes people more worried about the welfare state (Goerres, Karlsen, and Kumlin 2018).…”