[Public Opinion Briefing 38-1] Global Perceptions of Welfare and Government Satisfaction

[Public Opinion Briefing 38] Global Spread of the Perception of Government Responsibility for Welfare

[Issue 1] Social Consensus on Government Responsibility for Welfare is Spreading Globally

[Issue 2] South Korean Society: Consensus on Government Welfare Responsibility, Polarized Evaluation of Government Welfare Policies

[Discussion] Evaluation of Government Welfare Activities by Sector: Basic Livelihood, Medical Care, and Education

Issue 1. Social Consensus on Government Responsibility for Welfare is Spreading Globally

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With concerns about the global economy spreading due to the oil price surge in the first half of this year and the recent US-originated financial crisis, the welfare demands of citizens in various countries are increasing. Voices calling for governments to take responsibility for welfare are also growing louder. This is confirmed by the results of an international opinion poll conducted by the international opinion research organization WorldPublicOpinion.org and South Korea's EAI (East Asia Institute) and Kyunghyang Shinmun, surveying 21,321 people in 22 countries.

Averaging the results divided into three areas—livelihood, medical care, and education—9 out of 10 people worldwide argue that the government should be responsible for welfare in these areas. China recorded the highest approval rate, with an overwhelming 97% agreeing that the government's role is to provide welfare, along with countries like Indonesia and Jordan. Furthermore, over 90% of citizens in major OECD countries such as Italy (95%), Germany (94%), and the United Kingdom (92%) advocate for government responsibility in welfare. Relatively weaker intensities of the perception that the government should be responsible for basic welfare were observed in India (68%), the United States (78%), and Egypt (81%). However, even in these countries, the response that the government should be responsible for citizens' basic livelihood, medical care, and education averaged seven out of ten people, indicating a social consensus on government responsibility for welfare. The recent victory of candidate Obama in the US presidential election is presumed to have been influenced by the social consensus that the government should be responsible for citizens' basic welfare, with eight out of ten people holding this view [See Table 1 A].

However, when averaging the evaluation results on how well each country's government is performing in providing basic livelihood, medical care, and educational opportunities, significant national variations are confirmed. In China, which has achieved continuous economic growth, the evaluation that the government is performing well in providing welfare in these areas reached 76%, ranking first among the 22 surveyed countries. Among advanced Western countries, Germany and the United Kingdom maintained top positions in citizen welfare satisfaction, with 65% and 64% respectively expressing trust in their government's welfare capabilities. However, France, which has long suffered from economic recession, and the United States, the origin of the recent financial crisis, are already receiving lukewarm evaluations from their citizens. Only 50% of French citizens and 48% of American citizens believe their current government is fulfilling its responsibility to maintain the welfare level of its citizens. South Korea also ranked in the lower-middle group with 48%, placing 13th among all surveyed countries. Other countries classified as welfare laggards, receiving the lowest positive evaluations from their citizens, include Russia (24%), which has experienced extreme wealth disparity since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine (10%), and Argentina (13%), which has not found a path to economic recovery.

[Table 1] Comparison by Country (%): Government Responsibility for Basic Welfare and Satisfaction with Government Welfare Provision

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Source: WPO · EAI · Kyunghyang Shinmun (2008)

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The widespread recognition of government responsibility for social welfare in various countries is likely due to the global economic downturn and instability. According to a survey on international economic perceptions in 35 countries worldwide, conducted in January 2008 and January 2006 by EAI (East Asia Institute) in participation with the BBC World Poll Consortium, a significant increase in pessimistic evaluations of the global economy is evident in most major surveyed countries in 2008 compared to 2006. In the 2008 survey, over half of the citizens in major developed countries, including Italy (75%) and France (65%), which are known for severe economic pessimism, evaluated the global economy pessimistically. Notably, in the 2006 survey, countries like the UK, Germany, Spain, Turkey, and Mexico, which had relatively weaker pessimistic evaluations among OECD countries, showed an increase in negative assessments, indicating a convergence towards pessimism about the global economy. South Korea also ranked fifth among OECD countries in pessimistic perception of the global economy, with 61% of respondents believing the economy was worsening. However, the BRICS countries, namely China, India, and Russia, which are emerging as global economic powerhouses, are an exception, with their citizens holding a very optimistic view of the global economy. The pessimistic evaluation responses for a worsening global economy were 13% in India, 15% in Russia, and 19% in China.

This survey was conducted before the full onset of the US financial crisis, thus it does not reflect the impact of the crisis. If the shock of the global financial crisis were considered at the current time, demand for welfare policies in each country would likely be further intensified. The survey results indicate that a backlash against market-oriented and neoliberal policies, which have been spreading since the 1980s, was already widespread globally even before the recent financial crisis. This suggests that the demand for government intervention for welfare is not merely a temporary phenomenon resulting from the current economic downturn. In a situation where the recovery timeline of the current economic crisis is difficult to predict, global public opinion demanding welfare expansion through government intervention is expected to persist for a considerable period.

[Figure 1] Percentage of Pessimistic Evaluations of the Global Economy by Citizens of OECD and BRICs Countries (%)

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Source: BBC · East Asia Institute (2006; 2008)