Diversity in solidarity: determinants of deserving welfare support in the Netherlands

Abstract

Recent immigrants are perceived to be the least deserving of welfare support in Western European countries. The debate on ‘deservingness’ assesses whether and how particular social and/or ethnic groups are entitled to welfare support. Using a vignette experiment, we assessed whether a recipient’s identity and contribution to the welfare state are decisive factors in determining deservingness. We found that both identity and reciprocity play a role in determining deservingness. Moreover, this study investigated to what extent the relationship between recipient characteristics and deservingness varies with the socioeconomic position, values and opinions of the respondent. Economically insecure people find only members of the ingroup to be deserving of welfare support, while people with egalitarian values also find members of the outgroup deserving of welfare support. People who believe that immigrants threaten the sustainability of the welfare state find non-Western recipients and those who recently migrated to deserve less.