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The welfare state reduces risks, and research has shown that individuals’ perceptions of risk influence their attitudes towards welfare. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique context to examine how social policies may influence attitudes, as lockdowns and the economic recession threatened millions of jobs, while job retention protected many workers from unemployment. We explore support for unemployment protection and attitudes towards the unemployed among people active in the labour force and participating in the Mannheim Corona Study in Germany, Coping with COVID-19 in France, ResPOnsE in Italy, and the British Social Attitudes survey in Great Britain. Two-way fixed-effects analysis of the German data reveals a general increase in respondents’ support during the early phase of the pandemic. While job loss significantly heightened support, attitudes were similar between those who experienced job retention and those who remained employed. Cross-sectional analysis across all four countries confirms these patterns, offering comparative insight within Europe’s largest economies. Although unemployment and job retention share material similarities, unemployment is linked to greater levels of support. We argue that non-material factors, such as perceptions of risk, may play an influential role in shaping changes in preferences when individuals lose their jobs.

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How COVID-19 Employment Protection Influenced Support for Unemployment Benefits and the Unemployed—Job Retention Versus Job Loss in Four European Countries

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Andrew Zola,
  • Elias Naumann,
  • Piotr Marzec

摘要

The welfare state reduces risks, and research has shown that individuals’ perceptions of risk influence their attitudes towards welfare. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique context to examine how social policies may influence attitudes, as lockdowns and the economic recession threatened millions of jobs, while job retention protected many workers from unemployment. We explore support for unemployment protection and attitudes towards the unemployed among people active in the labour force and participating in the Mannheim Corona Study in Germany, Coping with COVID-19 in France, ResPOnsE in Italy, and the British Social Attitudes survey in Great Britain. Two-way fixed-effects analysis of the German data reveals a general increase in respondents’ support during the early phase of the pandemic. While job loss significantly heightened support, attitudes were similar between those who experienced job retention and those who remained employed. Cross-sectional analysis across all four countries confirms these patterns, offering comparative insight within Europe’s largest economies. Although unemployment and job retention share material similarities, unemployment is linked to greater levels of support. We argue that non-material factors, such as perceptions of risk, may play an influential role in shaping changes in preferences when individuals lose their jobs.