New research co-led by SSPSSR shows that Covid-19 welfare claimants are seen as much more deserving and less blameworthy than pre-pandemic claimants \u2013 but this has not translated into much more support for welfare claimants in general.<\/p>\n
This is the conclusion of a new report by\u00a0Welfare at a (Social) Distance<\/em><\/a>, a major national research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of UK Research and Innovation\u2019s rapid response to Covid-19. The project is led by the University of Salford in collaboration with SSPSSR,\u00a0the University of Leeds, London School of Economics and Deakin University, Australia.<\/p>\n It finds that the national lockdowns did prompt small increases in pro-welfare attitudes. However, attitudes rebounded quickly, and by April 2021, attitudes were barely different from what they had been prior to the pandemic.<\/p>\n Using data from a new representative survey of the general public, the\u00a0Solidarity in a Crisis<\/em>\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0shows that this can be explained by \u2018Covid exceptionalism\u2019, where Covid-19 claimants are mentally bracketed from existing claimants. The researchers found that Covid-19 claimants were considered much more likely to be genuinely in need and deserving than pre-pandemic claimants, and much less likely to be at fault for being unemployed. When asked to describe any differences between Covid-19 and pre- Covid-19 claimants in their own words, respondents characterised Covid-19 claimants as people who had \u201cestablished careers\u201d and who \u201cwanted to work\u201d but were unable to due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n Although there is no support for treating \u2018Covid-19 claimants\u2019 differently, support for more generous benefits is stronger if this is framed as Covid-19-related (e.g. the \u00a320 Universal Credit uplift). The researchers conclude that Covid-19 has not automatically changed welfare attitudes, but it has created a space where politicians can potentially talk about a more generous benefits system.<\/p>\n Dr Robert de Vries<\/a>, lead author of the report and a Senior Lecturer at SSPSSR, said: \u2018These surprising results show that the collective crisis of the pandemic has not made people\u2019s attitudes more generous\u00a0in general<\/em>. Instead, they have mentally bracketed Covid-19 claimants away as \u2018exceptional\u2019, leaving their feelings about \u2018regular\u2019 benefit claimants largely untouched.\u2019<\/p>\n Professor Lisa Scullion, joint project lead from the University of Salford, said: \u2018Although people were generally sympathetic to pre-pandemic claimants, Covid-19 claimants were more likely to be seen as genuinely \u2018in need\u2019 and deserving. The pandemic hasn\u2019t led to an automatic transformation of attitudes, but it has offered opportunities for a more generous benefit system.\u2019<\/p>\n Dr Ben Baumberg Geiger<\/a>, joint project lead and Reader at SSPSSR, said: \u2018It would be easy to conclude that despite Covid-19, the public has little appetite for a more generous welfare system \u2013 but this would be wrong. Before the pandemic, attitudes had become more pro-welfare than the UK has seen in 20-30 years, and support for more generous benefits is even higher if this is linked to Covid-19. Public attitudes depend on how politicians talk about welfare, which means that the impact of Covid-19 on welfare attitudes and policies is all to play for.\u2019<\/p>\n The report titled\u00a0Solidarity in a crisis? Trends in attitudes to benefits during Covid-19<\/em>\u00a0can be accessed on the Welfare at a (Social) Distance project\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"