Support for the Welfare State: Trade-Offs Between Social Citizenship and Political Rights

How strong is citizens' support for the welfare state and what are the limits? Arguments about welfare chauvinism and deservingness suggest that support for the welfare state is not universal. Some citizens hold the view that individuals perceived as undeserving, e.g., immigrants or long-term unemployed, should be excluded from the welfare state. The perception of undeservingness is often rooted in the notion that these individuals do not contribute to the system or violate societal norms. One potential further consequence would be to restrict the political rights of these groups. We argue that citizens are willing to support such restrictions, depending on the targeted group. We employ an original survey experiment conducted among the German population (N=6000). In the experiment, citizens are confronted with the trade-off between a strong welfare state and the restriction of rights for individuals who might not contribute to society (immigrants, long-term unemployed, and fellow German citizens). This study enhances our understanding of the factors influencing citizens' support for the welfare state. By bringing together the literature on deservingness and support for citizens' rights, we show how these two dimensions are evaluated and weighted by citizens.