ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the dependent variable, which have operationalised in both relative and absolute terms. It analyses the bivariate connections between perception of job opportunities of social assistance claimants, perception of work ethic among claimants, perception of generosity of social assistance, and relative and absolute support for social assistance. The chapter discusses problems concerning the directions of causality and conduct a simple control analysis that takes political affiliation into account. It pays attention to the sociological man perspective within which one could contest that perceptions of claimants of social assistance come prior to support for social assistance. The chapter explores that the perceptions of the job opportunities, generosity, and cultural distinctiveness of the poor and unemployed, which have argued are regime-dependent, have a strong influence on public support for welfare policy. It focuses on the connection between perceptions of the share of immigrants among claimants of social assistance and support for social assistance.
