Evidence library

Are tough times affecting attitudes to welfare? Every year the British Social Attitudes survey asks over 3,000 people what it's like to live in Britain and how they think Britain is run. Since 1983 the survey has been tracking people's changing social, political and moral attitudes. It informs the development of public policy and is an important barometer of public attitudes used by opinion leaders and social commentators. This section looks at public attitudes to welfare and benefit recipients. In previous economic downturns, the public has responded with increased sympathy for welfare recipients and support for spending on welfare benefits. But as the coalition government begins to apply extensive reforms to the benefit system, is that still the case? FINDINGS What our data clearly show is that, while attitudes to different aspects of welfare are behaving in a far from uniform way, they are generally moving in line with the current direction of government policy, rather than responding as they have previously to the onset of recession. We see that the public is becoming less supportive of the government taking a leading role in providing welfare to the unemployed, and even to the elderly in retirement. There is less enthusiasm about public spending on all types of benefits and an increasing belief that the welfare system encourages dependence.