CROSS-CULTURAL-COMPARISON OF ATTITUDES TOWARD WELFARE-STATE PROGRAMS - PATH-ANALYSIS WITH LOG-LINEAR MODELS

Many studies to date regarding public support for welfare-state progra ms do not have an adequate theoretical model and fail to consider diff erences in public support for contributory vs. means-tested programs. Moreover, these studies seldom take into account cross-cultural variat ions. This study presents and tests the validity of a three-tier model in which socio-economic variables influence social ideologies which, in turn, differentially affect support for contributory and means-test ed programs. Using comparable data from two countries - Israel and the United States - a path analysis with log-linear models is applied, in dicating that, while important cross-cultural differences exist, the m odel is generally confirmed.