ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the case for the emergence of a new wave of scroungerphobia in Britain. Serge Paugam himself recognises that in some countries, most notably the UK, interpretations of poverty based on idleness can become prevalent, especially in conjunction with economic crisis. An unpredicted result however is the common acknowledgement by all groups that public perceptions of welfare claimants in the UK are profoundly shaped by media portrayals. The Rhonda experiment is a pioneering work in the study of how media representations of the undeserving poor impact the audience's views on the welfare system as a whole. A word cloud graph summarising the most recurrent words and concepts associated with the term 'welfare' during the meetings. Most of the participants' imagery would reproduce part of the stereotypical representations produced by the media and by dominant political views on the welfare state.