Making the difference in social Europe: deservingness perceptions among citizens of European welfare states
Open accessAbstract
Welfare states treat different groups of needy people differently. Such differential rationing may reflect various considerations of policymakers, who act in economic, political and cultural contexts. This article aims at contributing to a theoretical and empirical understanding of the popular cultural context of welfare rationing. It examines European public perceptions of the relative deservingness of four needy groups (elderly people, sick and disabled people, unemployed people, and immigrants). Hypotheses, deduced from a literature review, are tested against data from the 1999/2000 European Values Study survey. It is found that Europeans share a common and fundamental deservingness culture: across countries and social categories there is a consistent pattern that elderly people are seen as most deserving, closely followed by sick and disabled people; unemployed people are seen as less deserving still, and immigrants as least deserving of all. Conditionality is greater in poorer countries, in countries with lower unemployment, and in countries where people have less trust in fellow citizens and in state institutions. At the national level there is no relation with welfare regime type or welfare spending. Individual differences in conditionality are determined by several socio-demographic and attitudinal characteristics, as well as by certain features of the country people live in.
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Deservingness theory argues that people are less in favour of benefit schemes that benefit undeserving social groups.
“deservingness theory that argues that people are less in favour of benefit schemes that benefit undeserving social groups (Van Oorschot, 2006).”
From Public opinion on basic income: Mapping European support for a radical alternative for welfare provision (2020) · cites this paper as Van Oorschot, 2006
Immigrants in Europe invariably come out at the bottom of the ranking of deservingness.
“While several recipient groups are burdened by deservingness judgements, immigrants in Europe invariably come out at the bottom of the ranking of deservingness.”
From Solidarity in diverse societies: beyond neoliberal multiculturalism and welfare chauvinism (2015) · cites this paper as Van Oorschot, 2006
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“In this respect, we can also refer to deservingness theory that argues that people are less in favour of benefit schemes that benefit undeserving social groups (Van Oorschot, 2006).”
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- Authors
- van Oorschot, W.
- Affiliations
- Tilburg University, The Netherlands,
- Venue
- Journal of European Social Policy
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-02
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 23-42
- ISSN
- 0958-9287 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7269
- OpenAlex
- W2167846153
- Cited by
- 1,327
- References
- 99
- Citations by year
- 2026: 105 · 2025: 79 · 2024: 130 · 2023: 95 · 2022: 148 · 2021: 117 · 2020: 132 · 2019: 72 · 2018: 109 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 54 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 66.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Journal of European Social Policy (publishedVersion)
- Lirias (acceptedVersion)
- Research portal (Tilburg University) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Social Policy and Reform Studies
- Social Sciences › General Social Sciences › Social Sciences and Policies
- Social Sciences › Law › European Law and Migration
- Keywords
- welfare conditionality, European welfare states, older adults, unemployed people, immigrants, public attitudes, institutional trust, social spending, sociodemographic differences, European Values Study
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