Title

Welfare attitudes and social class : the case of Hong Kong in comparative perspective

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

International Journal of Social Welfare

Publication Date

4-1-2009

Volume

18

Issue

2

First Page

142

Last Page

152

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Keywords

welfare state, class, social policy, Hong Kong, comparative, ISSP

Abstract

Based on a survey of Hong Kong residents, this article explores the attitudes towards the welfare state and whether or not there are significant differences between different social classes with regard to their approval of the welfare state. The findings were then compared with those for Sweden and the USA. The study shows that Hong Kong residents strongly approve of the welfare state. The strength of their support is similar to that in Sweden and is far stronger than in the USA. In Hong Kong, the influence of social class on attitudes towards the welfare state is negligible. In some cases, the privileged classes expressed greater approval for the welfare state than the underprivileged classes. This is in striking contrast to the experiences in Sweden and the USA where the underprivileged classes are more supportive of the welfare state than are the privileged classes.

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-2397.2008.00576.x

Print ISSN

13696866

E-ISSN

14682397

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Wong, K. Y. T., Wan, P. S., & Law, W. K. K. (2009). Welfare attitudes and social class: The case of Hong Kong in comparative perspective. International Journal of Social Welfare, 18(2), 142-152. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2008.00576.x

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