ATTITUDES TOWARDS ADEQUACY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN THE EU Social Europe EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Directorate C — Social Affairs Unit C.2 — Modernisation of social protection systems Contact: [email protected] European Commission B-1049 Brussels Attitudes towards adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems in the EU Attitudes towards adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems in the EU This report was prepared under contract No VC2019/0050 signed between Applica sprl and the European Commission DG EMPL Unit C2., relating to the tender No VT/2019/001 “Study on the Adequacy and Sustainability of Social Protection Systems: Attitudes in the EU”. The project was managed jointly by Applica sprl (Belgium, lead partner) and Tarki Social Research Institute (Hungary), with the participation of Kresko Research in the person of Bart Meuleman and the Stichting Katholieke Universiteit Brabant (Tilburg University) in the person of Femke Roosma. The paper was the joint product of the team comprising: István György Tóth (Tárki, team leader and leader of Task 2); Nicole Fondeville (Applica, project coordinator); Boglárka Herke (Tárki); Manos Matsaganis (Applica); Márton Medgyesi (Tárki); Bart Meuleman (Kresko Research, leader of Task 1); Erhan Özdemir (Applica); Femke Roosma (Tilburg University); Terry Ward (Applica, leader of Task 3). The team benefitted from the contributions of the Advisory Board of the project including Stefan Liebig (DIW, Berlin), Wim Van Oorschot (KU Leuven), Frank Vandenbroucke (University of Amsterdam) and Krzysztof Zagórski (Kozminski University Warsaw). LEGAL NOTICE The information and views set out in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). PDF ISBN 978-92-76-23346-6 doi: 10.2767/04757 KE-03-20-649-EN-N Manuscript completed in September 2020 The European Commission is not liable for any consequence stemming from the reuse of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 © European Union, 2020 The reuse policy of European Commission documents is implemented by the Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). 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Table of contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................................................5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................................7 RÉSUMÉ ANALYTIQUE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 1. METHODS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 1.1 Scoping literature review ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 1.2 A mapping of available surveys and methodological aspects ........................................................................... 21 1.3 Statistical analysis ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23 1.4 Reflections on the availability of data relating to attitudes towards social protection ........................ 23 1.4.1 Limitations in data availability ........................................................................................................................... 24 1.4.2 Improving data availability .................................................................................................................................... 25 2. GENERAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS WELFARE STATE AND SOCIAL POLICIES ......................................................... 27 2.1 What type of social contract is favoured by Europeans? ...................................................................................... 28 2.1.1 A multidimensional approach to welfare attitudes.................................................................................. 28 2.1.2 Perceived affordability and the financing of the social protection system................................. 30 2.1.3 Empirical evidence on general attitudes ........................................................................................................ 32 2.2 Which individual and contextual factors shape evaluations and preferences? ........................................ 36 2.2.1 Individual factors: social-structural positions and ideological disposition ................................ 37 2.2.2 Contextual factors ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 2.2.3 Determinants of general attitudes towards social protection ........................................................... 41 2.3 Analysis of multidimensionality ........................................................................................................................................... 43 2.3.1 Conditions and dimensions of welfare state legitimacy ....................................................................... 44 2.3.2 Uni- or multidimensional welfare attitudes ................................................................................................. 44 2.3.3 Comparing welfare attitudes in ESS 2008 and 2016 ............................................................................ 46 2.4 Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 47 3. WELFARE ATTITUDES BY DOMAIN ......................................................................................................................................... 49 3.1 Child and family benefits ......................................................................................................................................................... 50 3.1.1 Overview of the literature ..................................................................................................................................... 50 3.1.2 Empirical analysis of attitudes ............................................................................................................................ 53 3.1.3 Multivariate analysis of determinants of attitudes towards family benefits .......................... 58 3.1.4 Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................ 61 3.2 Old-age pensions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.1 Overview of the literature ...................................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.2 Empirical analysis of attitudes ........................................................................................................................... 66 3.2.3 Multivariate analysis of determinants of attitudes towards old-age pensions ...................... 71 3.2.4 Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................... 74 3 Attitudes towards adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems in the EU 3.3 Unemployment benefits ........................................................................................................................................................... 75 3.3.1 Overview of the literature ...................................................................................................................................... 75 3.3.2 Empirical analysis of attitudes ............................................................................................................................ 77 3.3.3 Multivariate analysis of determinants of attitudes towards unemployment benefits ....... 81