Humanitarian Attitudes and Support of Government Responsibility for Social Welfare: A Study of Perceptions of Social Work Graduates in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

This study examines humanitarian attitudes and the individualist-collectivist orientation of graduates drawn from various social work study programmes of some major universities and colleges in the People's Republic of China. The research findings show that in general, the respondents have a positive regard of humanitarian issues, and that it is this positive orientation which lends support to the perception of social welfare as a government responsibility. However, responses to some of the items reflect the influence of the traditional emphasis on self-reliance and a prevailing ideology that emphasises the country's economic needs and priorities.