1 / 27

Public Opinion Influence on Social Policies: Since 1997 Analysis

Explore the dynamic relationship between public attitudes and social policies regarding poverty, social security, and more since 1997, examining key features and shifts in government strategies.

hsigmon
Download Presentation

Public Opinion Influence on Social Policies: Since 1997 Analysis

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Following or leading public opinion? Policy, poverty, social security and public attitudes since 1997 John Hills ESRC Research Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion Institute for Fiscal Studies 22 May 2002

  2. Key features of policy since 1997 • Selective universalism and a patchwork assault on poverty • No across-the-board benefit increases • Social security as ‘spending on failure’ • No use of ‘redistribution’; pledge not to raise income tax rates • Lack of concern over inequality at the top • Work-based strategy for unemployed • Child poverty abolition target – in relative terms until 2003-4, at least

  3. More generous mix of means-testing, universal benefits and affluence testing for families with children • Cuts in some disability benefits and for some lone parents • Conditionality for benefits: e.g. work-focussed interviews • Tax cuts for low paid • Minimum wage and wage top-ups for low paid with children (and without from 2003) • Increases in Income Support (MIG) for pensioners with Pension Credit to come. Reluctance to raise basic pension.

  4. The tax/spending trade-off Source: British Social Attitudes Survey

  5. Priorities within social benefits Source: British Social Attitudes survey

  6. Would you like to see more or less government spending on benefits for... Source: CASE/BritishSocialAttitudes Survey, 1998

  7. Inequality and public attitudes Sources: Goodman and Webb (1994) , DWP (2001); British Social Attitudes Survey

  8. On the whole should it be the government’s responsibility to reduce income differences between the rich and poor…..? Source: CASE/BritishSocialAttitudes Survey, 1998

  9. Government should spend more on welfare benefits for the poor (%) Note: Horizontal scale uneven Source: British Social Attitudes survey

  10. Government should redistribute income to the less well-off (%) Note:Horizontal scale uneven Source: British Social Attitudes survey

  11. Some people say there is very little real poverty in Britain today. Others say there is quite a lot. Which comes closest to your view? Source: British Social Attitudes Survey

  12. What has happened to poverty in Britain over the past ten years?

  13. Trends in concerns about fraud in the welfare system (% agreeing with each statement)

  14. Trends in concerns around disincentives (% agreeing with each statement)

  15. Are incomes enough to live on?

  16. Attitudes towards benefits for the unemployed

  17. Attitudes towards benefits for the unemployed

  18. Government’s responsibility to provide a job for everyone who wants one? Definitely 39 Probably 37 Probably 12 Definitely not 6 Very / fairly easy 15 Neither 14 Very / fairly difficult 67 Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, 2000

  19. Benefits for a very high earner compared to a very low earner should be *Very high income versus very low income Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, 1998

  20. Wage top-ups from government? Source: British Social Attitudes Survey

  21. Benefit Sanctions if Fail to Attend Interview Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, 2000

  22. Government’s responsibility to provide a decent standard of living for the elderly? (%) Definitely 80 Probably 16 Probably not 1 Definitely not - Very / fairly easy 45 Neither 13 Very / fairly difficult 38 Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, 2000

  23. Adequacy of state pension Very low 51 A bit on low side 32 Reasonable 16 On the high side Zero Source: British Social Attitudes Survey, 2000

  24. Policy in line with/following public attitudes • Priority to health and education, not social security • Selectivity in benefit increases • Concerns about fraud / disincentives • Conditionality in benefit payments • Aim to reduce poverty (and seen in relative terms?) • Minimum wage • Work-based strategy for unemployed • Wage top-ups for low paid with children • Higher child credits if low income / affluence-testing • Redistribution by stealth

  25. Policy catching up with public attitudes? • Real increases in basic pension (temporary) • Some tax increases to pay for higher health spending • Reversal of ‘purse to wallet’ switch for Child Tax Credit from 2003

  26. Policy leading public attitudes? • Balance of concerns over adequacy / disincentives from benefits for unemployed (but not concerns themselves) • Avoidance of talk of ‘redistribution’

  27. Policy out of line with (may lead) public attitudes? • Cuts in disability benefits • Means-tested not flat rate (or more generous) pensions • Wage top-ups where no children • Lack of measures for carers • Lack of concern for overall inequality?

More Related