ABSTRACT
The chapter presents the results of research on respondents' attitudes toward the welfare state and their opinions on selected social benefits in Poland. The vast majority of respondents support the welfare functions of the state. Respondents believe that the state should help citizens in difficult situations. The empirical data are consistent with the results of other studies conducted over a dozen or so years, confirming that social orientation is widespread in Polish society. This is due, among other things, to the high value attached to socio-economic equality and living standards, which reinforce the need for social security and the expectation of an active role for the state in the social sphere. In this context, the importance of the legacy of real socialism, which may contribute to the perpetuation of egalitarian attitudes, should be taken into account. Respondents generally perceive the level of inequality as too high and are in favour of an active, redistributive role for the government. The results of the study show that support for the social model of the state is positively correlated primarily with socio-economic variables such as self-assessment of one's financial situation and employment status. People who assess their financial situation as poor and who work in less stable forms of employment were more likely than others to support the welfare state.
