Beyond 'mythbusting': how to respond to myths and perceived undeservingness in the British benefits system

Geiger, Ben Baumberg; Meueleman, Bart

doi:10.1332/175982716x14721954314968

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…post‐war Britain) and places (e.g. Nordic countries) in which the public see benefit claimants as more deserving are not necessarily characterized by accurate perceptions of benefits, and the evidence suggests mythbusting itself is unlikely to consistently produce strong changes in attitudes (Geiger and Meueleman ). The role of benefit myths in public attitudes should not be overstated, yet neither should it be denied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefit ‘Myths’? The Accuracy and Inaccuracy of Public Beliefs about the Benefits System

Geiger

2017

Soc Policy Adm

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There is a widespread assumption by academics and commentators that negative public attitudes to the benefits system are due to 'myths' held by the British public. However, there is little research on whether the public believe these 'myths', nor critical scrutiny of benefit 'truths'. This article therefore investigates what British people believe about the benefits system, and the extent to which these beliefs can be regarded as correct. To do this, we use 46 measures from 18 datasets (including British Social Attitudes, the European Social Survey, Eurobarometer, and surveys by YouGov and Ipsos MORI made available for academic study for the first time), and compare these perceptions to true figures obtained from a variety of sources. We find thatagainst expectationsthere are some areas where the public are (on average) relatively accurate (e.g. the share of the population who currently claim out-of-work benefits). Yet overall, our evidence shows that the British public have low levels of understanding of the benefits system, primarily in ways that seem likely to undermine public support. People wildly overestimate unemployment benefits compared to pensions, the value of unemployment benefits, and misperceive trends in claims. While it is difficult to know the true level of benefit fraud exactly, the public overestimate fraud compared to any reasonable figure. We conclude by discussing the implications for both understanding and changing attitudes towards benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefit ‘Myths’? The Accuracy and Inaccuracy of Public Beliefs about the Benefits System

Geiger

2017

Soc Policy Adm

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“…In that regard, it could be especially valuable to investigate the over-time relationship between media discourse and public opinion, in the process building upon studies focused on popular welfare myths (e.g. Geiger, 2017a; Geiger and Meueleman, 2016). Such research could also help to address real-world questions that our experimental set-up does not allow us to answer, in the process establishing the external validity of the findings presented here (see Gaines et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numbers and Attitudes towards Welfare State Generosity

Jensen

Kevins

2018

Political Studies

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Between pro-retrenchment politicians and segments of the media, exaggerated claims about the generous benefits enjoyed by those on welfare are relatively common. But to what extent, and under what conditions, can they actually shape attitudes towards welfare? This study explores these questions via a survey experiment conducted in the UK, examining: (1) the extent to which the value of the claimed figure matters; (2) if the presence of anchoring information about minimum wage income has an impact; and (3) whether these effects differ based on egalitarianism and political knowledge. Results suggest that increasing the size of the claimed figure decreases support in a broadly linear fashion, with anchoring information important only when (asserted) benefit levels are modestly above the minimum wage income. Egalitarianism, in turn, primarily matters when especially low figures are placed alongside information about minimum wage, while low-knowledge respondents were more susceptible to anchoring effects than high-knowledge ones.

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“…Schools could be ideal for combating youths’ welfare-state related misinformation, increasing knowledge and fostering resilience against disinformation. Success in challenging or debunking political misinformation can be reached by relying on credible and trustworthy sources and presenting evidence in an appealing and coherent framework instead of only pointing out false information (see Guillory and Geraci, 2013; Geiger and Meuleman, 2016; Lewandowsky et al, 2012, 2020). Ideally, schools could meet these criteria.…”

Section: Youth and The Knowledge–deservingness–attitudes Nexusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mind the gap: Young people and welfare-state related knowledge in deservingness and welfare attitude research

Sowula

2023

Journal of European Social Policy

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Welfare deservingness opinions help explain welfare attitudes and hence are crucial for understanding the social legitimacy of the welfare state. However, even when considering deservingness alongside other explanatory frameworks, many open questions remain in the welfare attitude framework. This article argues that a novel research agenda focusing on welfare-state related knowledge and young people could considerably enrich current debates in deservingness and welfare attitude research. Deservingness assessments are made heuristically and could greatly depend on what people know (especially when they are misinformed). Studying this with young people is highly relevant, as the formative years are crucial for welfare attitude formation and change, even later in life. Research with young people provides unique opportunities for disentangling causal mechanisms between welfare-state related knowledge, deservingness and welfare attitudes. Moreover, it could help challenge welfare-state related misinformation and build resilience against disinformation. This thematic review outlines benefits, blind spots, and research trajectories when focusing on knowledge and young people in deservingness and welfare attitude research.

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Beyond 'mythbusting': how to respond to myths and perceived undeservingness in the British benefits system

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Benefit ‘Myths’? The Accuracy and Inaccuracy of Public Beliefs about the Benefits System

Benefit ‘Myths’? The Accuracy and Inaccuracy of Public Beliefs about the Benefits System

Numbers and Attitudes towards Welfare State Generosity

Mind the gap: Young people and welfare-state related knowledge in deservingness and welfare attitude research

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