Economic conditions, government effectiveness and public attitudes towards the welfare state

Expanding the literature on support for the welfare state, we explain citizens' attitudes towards it by focusing on their perceptions about economic conditions and government effectiveness in their country rather than objective assessments of them. Using data from the 2008 European Social Survey, we demonstrate that citizens believe that the standard of living of economically weak populations goes hand in hand with a well-managed government, which treats all sectors and populations equally and proves efficient. Under these conditions, preferences for government intervention to improve welfare outcomes decline.