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“I Don't Agree with Giving Cash”: A Survey Experiment Examining Support for Public Assistance
Author(s) -
Campbell Colin,
Gaddis S. Michael
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
social science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.482
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1540-6237
pISSN - 0038-4941
DOI - 10.1111/ssqu.12338
Subject(s) - subsidy , poverty , public assistance , social assistance , cash , welfare , cash transfers , safety net , public support , public economics , survey data collection , food stamps , income support , business , economics , economic growth , political science , finance , statistics , mathematics , law , market economy , macroeconomics
Objective Existing research on support for anti‐poverty programs largely focuses on broad categories of welfare. In this article, we examine variations in support across different public assistance programs. Methods We use an experimental survey design to examine whether support for public assistance is dependent on the type of aid offered. Results We find that programs that offer benefits in‐kind are more popular than cash transfers. Moreover, food stamps and child‐care subsidies enjoy more support than housing assistance. Open‐ended survey responses show that when evaluating anti‐poverty programs, respondents adopt one of two perspectives: (1) cash assistance is problematic but other forms of assistance are acceptable or (2) any assistance is problematic. Conclusion By too narrowly focusing on welfare, social scientists run the risk of developing theories and explanations that may not apply to the much larger part of the safety net that is delivered in‐kind.