A comparison of mass attitudes towards the welfare state in different institutional, 1985-1990

This paper examines the validity of predominant assumptions about popular s upport for the welfare state. These presuppositions include the notion that support for the welfare state varies in different types of regimes (be the y 'liberal' or 'social democratic' or 'conservative'), the idea that differ ent social groups (for example, the middle and working classes and the unem ployed) have different interests with respect to the welfare state, and the view that political alignments have a strong influence on attitudes to wel fare. To investigate these issues we analyze the 1990 International Social Survey Programme Role of Government Survey and compare it to the findings o f an analysis we conducted on the 1985 survey. The aim therefore is to exam ine the relationship between mass attitudes and specific types of welfare s tate regime and the social and other correlates of mass opinion.