Overview
- Three in four people say the Government should reduce income differences, a rate above the European average.
- Thirty-four percent would accept higher taxes for more or better public services, ranking sixth among 27 European countries.
- Sixty-four percent believe social benefits prevent poverty, down from 69% in 2009, while 58% say benefits make people lazy.
- The Government’s 2017 “welfare cheats” campaign temporarily reduced agreement that benefits prevent poverty, the study finds.
- Support for redistribution is stronger among women, younger and financially strained or working‑class respondents, including those whose jobs or incomes were hit during the pandemic, and backing is higher for pensions and childcare than for unemployment supports.