Social Change and Social Policy: Results from a Survey of Public Opinion

Peter Saunders, Cathy Thomson and Ceri Evans

Discussion Papers from University of New South Wales, Social Policy Research Centre

Abstract: Social policy is having to adapt to changes in the Australian economy and in Australian society more generally. The role of the state is receding and expectations of what it can achieve are being lowered at a time when the economy is generating increased material prosperity combined with growing inequalities and heightened insecurity. Against this background, there is a need to understand how the nature of public opinion is changing so that the degree of support for new (or existing) public programs can be ascertained. The federal government has foreshadowed social policy as its main priority over the next few years and is shaping the parameters of a new welfare state built upon the principles of self-reliance, incentives, affordability and mutual obligation. Yet rather little is known about how widely these principles are shared within the community, and how public opinion has changed in response to broader economic and social change. Against this background, a survey of a representative sample of the adult population was conducted in the middle of 1999 in order to understand the nature of public opinion on economic and social change. This paper - the first in a series - describes how the survey was conducted and reports some of its initial findings. It describes the main characteristics of the respondents and perceptions of changes in living standards, attitudes to economic and social change and concerns about their economic security. The results provide an insight into the diverse ways in which Australians are coping with forces that are generating benefits and uncertainties for many people.

Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2000-05
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wop:sprcdp:00106

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