Who Blames the Poor?

ABSTRACT

The article analyses the support for and determinants of individualistic explanations of poverty among Europeans. The analyses are conducted using multilevel logistic regression models. Findings suggest that the level of support for the individualistic explanation of poverty varies between European nations. Hence, the results contradict the analysis of Alesina and Glaeser (2004, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe. A World of Difference), which gives us a very homogenous picture of European attitudes towards the poor. Among the determinants of poverty perceptions, welfare regime, short-term economic growth and social expenditures as well as individual-level demographic factors, perceived economic hardship, political affiliation and egalitarian values are associated with the individualistic attribution for poverty. In general, the findings hold critical implications for future research to develop further dynamic measurement of contextual level explanatory factors.

Key words:

• attributions for poverty
• causes of poverty
• social perceptions
• cross-national differences
• Europe

Acknowledgements

This research is part of the corresponding author's research project funded by the Academy of Finland (grant number: 121779). Previous versions of the paper were presented at several international conferences and scientific meetings. The authors would like to thank all participants of those meetings. Special thanks go to Olli Kangas and Michaela Pfeifer for their valuable comments.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Johanna Kallio

Johanna Kallio, PhD in Social Policy, is a post-doctoral researcher in the Swedish School of Social Science at the University of Helsinki. Her research focuses on various aspects of welfare attitudes. She has published several articles on public and decision-maker attitudes towards the public services. Her current research focuses on social workers’ attitudes towards welfare and on cross-national differences in public attitudes towards the role of government.

Mikko Niemelä

Mikko Niemelä, Adjunct Professor in Sociology, is a senior researcher at the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. His current research focuses on public perceptions of the causes of poverty and on cross-national differences in public attitudes towards the role of government. Other areas of research include the measurement of poverty, the intergenerational transmission of poverty and the mechanisms of the institutional change of welfare states.