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Determinants of Deservingness Perceptions regarding Unemployed People in Sweden, 1986-2018

Babic, Lukas LU (2024) SIMZ51 20241
Graduate School
Abstract
The general public’s attitudes towards unemployed people are important to
understand because this could explain why unemployed people are deemed as less
deserving of welfare benefits in comparison to other needy groups. Yet, there are
very few studies that address this in a Swedish context. The purpose of this thesis
is to examine whether and how the attitudes towards unemployed people have
changed in Sweden during the period from 1986 to 2018, and, whether individual
factors determining deservingness perceptions changed in terms of predictive
power. Based on theories on deservingness perceptions, capitalist working ethic,
and economic self-interest, this thesis tests, firstly, whether social class, education, age and... (More)
The general public’s attitudes towards unemployed people are important to
understand because this could explain why unemployed people are deemed as less
deserving of welfare benefits in comparison to other needy groups. Yet, there are
very few studies that address this in a Swedish context. The purpose of this thesis
is to examine whether and how the attitudes towards unemployed people have
changed in Sweden during the period from 1986 to 2018, and, whether individual
factors determining deservingness perceptions changed in terms of predictive
power. Based on theories on deservingness perceptions, capitalist working ethic,
and economic self-interest, this thesis tests, firstly, whether social class, education, age and political orientation predicted Swedish people’s attitudes towards the unemployed and, secondly, whether those associations became less or more salient during the period 1986 to 2018. To answer this, data from both the welfare state surveys (SWS), and the International Social Surveys Programme (ISSP) is used. The results show that, there is evidence that political orientation and education are important factors when explaining the attitudes towards the unemployed in Sweden throughout the decades 1980-2010 and that their influence has been stable over the years. (Less)
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author
Babic, Lukas LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ51 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Welfare attitudes, welfare deservingness, unemployment, political orientation, stigma, working ethic.
language
English
id
9158662
date added to LUP
2024-06-26 12:30:05
date last changed
2024-06-26 12:30:05
@misc{9158662,
  abstract     = {{The general public’s attitudes towards unemployed people are important to 
understand because this could explain why unemployed people are deemed as less 
deserving of welfare benefits in comparison to other needy groups. Yet, there are 
very few studies that address this in a Swedish context. The purpose of this thesis 
is to examine whether and how the attitudes towards unemployed people have 
changed in Sweden during the period from 1986 to 2018, and, whether individual 
factors determining deservingness perceptions changed in terms of predictive 
power. Based on theories on deservingness perceptions, capitalist working ethic, 
and economic self-interest, this thesis tests, firstly, whether social class, education, age and political orientation predicted Swedish people’s attitudes towards the unemployed and, secondly, whether those associations became less or more salient during the period 1986 to 2018. To answer this, data from both the welfare state surveys (SWS), and the International Social Surveys Programme (ISSP) is used. The results show that, there is evidence that political orientation and education are important factors when explaining the attitudes towards the unemployed in Sweden throughout the decades 1980-2010 and that their influence has been stable over the years.}},
  author       = {{Babic, Lukas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Determinants of Deservingness Perceptions regarding Unemployed People in Sweden, 1986-2018}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}