The effect of social class on a support for the social economy : Focusing on the mediation effect of

The effect of social class on a support for the social economy : Focusing on the mediation effect of attitudes to welfare and political orientation

Ahn, Sang-Hoon | Seoul National University

Youngmin Cho | Ewha Womans University

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social class on support for the social economy and the mediation effect of attitudes to welfare and political orientation in South Korea using the 2020 Social Policy Needs and Social Integration Perception Survey. This study explores the roles and implications of the social economy—a new public-private partnership model—as an alternative to the welfare state. Our study found that equivalized disposable income is positively associated with support for social economy. Mediation analysis shows that equivalized disposable income indirectly affects support for the social economy support through attitudes to welfare. In contrast, no mediation effect of political orientation was found. These findings suggest that attitudes toward tax increases to enable universal welfare expansion are likely to depend on social class, which in turn plays an important role in shaping support for the social economy.

KEYWORDS

Social Economy, Social Class, Welfare Attitude, Political Orientation

Social Economy & Policy Studies

2022, vol.12, no.1, pp. 31-57 (27 pages)

DOI : 10.22340/seps.2022.02.12.1.31