The Influence of the Crisis on the Pillars of the Welfare State. The opinion of EU citizens

Résumé

The aim of this research is to analyse the perception held by citizens of the various EU member states regarding the evolution of the pillars of the Welfare State in their countries during the crisis. Variations in these visions can be attributed to individual and contextual variables. The starting point for this research is the theory of social space, with its various capitals, measured in terms of both the individual and the country they reside in. The dependent variable (the perception held by citizens regarding the evolution of the pillars of the Welfare State in their country of residence) is associated with individual and contextual independent variables. The analysis was carried out using a multilevel model. The results showed that those persons ranking lower in terms of social stratification and resident in semi-peripheral and peripheral EU member states have a more negative vision of the evolution of the pillars of the Welfare State, although there is also a key symbolic factor resulting from their political ideology and religious beliefs.