In times of austerity, the extension, size, and legitimacy of the European welfare state are often put into question. In Portugal, the 2011 financial rescue has opened up the discussion around the sustainability of the education, health, pensions, and social benefits systems. Questions of whether welfare systems should be maintained or reduced are found not only in the political and academic realms but also amongst citizens. Research has found that public perceptions towards welfare provision often change in times of economic crisis, particularly in relation to who should contribute and who should benefit from the welfare state. This paper aims to expand our knowledge in this topic by examining citizen´s opinion on deservingness of social rights in Portugal.
This piece of work examines public perceptions of deservingness in relation to social rights in Portugal. Specifically, it explores people´s opinion on whether the right to healthcare, education, pensions, and social benefits are tied to personal conditions or specific circumstances. The analysis explores the roots of public perception of deservingness: the extent to which specific social rights are inherent to personal conditions, effort-based, need-based, or attached to cultural values. The examination utilises data from the Broken Promises Survey , a specifically designed survey applied to a representative sample of the adult population in Portugal.
