Distributive Justice and Attitudes Toward the Welfare State

Current debates concerning the viability of the welfare state evoke the question of the social bases of support of the welfare state. Past research has documented fairly consistent relationships between sociodemographic characteristics & attitudes toward welfare policies. Yet, the nature of thes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social justice research 2003-03, Vol.16 (1), p.1-27
Main Authors: Lewin-Epstein, Noah, Kaplan, Amit, Levanon, Asaf
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Demography
Distributive Justice
Income Distribution
Inequalities
Inequality
Israel
Justice
Public Opinion
Public Support
Social Inequality
Social perception
Social policy
Society
Sociology
Studies
Welfare
Welfare Policy
Welfare State
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Summary:Current debates concerning the viability of the welfare state evoke the question of the social bases of support of the welfare state. Past research has documented fairly consistent relationships between sociodemographic characteristics & attitudes toward welfare policies. Yet, the nature of these relationships is not well understood. In the paper, we argue that the level of support for the welfare state is largely determined by the principles of distributive justice espoused by individuals as well as their images of society. We develop a theoretical framework, which outlines the structural relationship between social attributes, principles of justice, perceived conflict, & support for the welfare state. Using data from a recent population survey on the legitimation of inequality, conducted in Israel in 1999 (N = 1,057), we test a number of hypotheses. For the empirical analysis we use structural equation modeling with multiple indicators. Our findings reveal substantial support for policies aimed at reducing inequality. At the same time we find strong support for rewards according to merit & unequal earnings distribution. The impact of social attributes on attitudes toward the welfare state is partially mediated by the justice principles & images of society. 4 Tables, 1 Figure, 2 Appendixes, 59 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0885-7466
1573-6725
DOI:10.1023/A:1022909726114