Cohort and Welfare Regime Differences in Attitudes on State: Multilevel Analysis of 29 Countries

Many studies examined the link between welfare regimes and welfare state attitudes, but their results are mixed. The present study further examines this question by focusing on the post-communist regimes, characterized by strong statist legacy and various welfare developmental paths following the 1989/1991 ruptures. Using the EVS 2008 data, the author compares the attitudes on state responsibility in post-communist regimes to other welfare regimes, with particular attention to the cohort differences. The results indicate a greater probability of extreme statist views among generations socialized during periods of generous welfare practices. The regime differences matter as well, also indicating an importance of welfare regime practices for the state attitudes. This is, in particular, suggested by the clustering of the post-communist and the Mediterranean regimes, which stand out both with the legacy of statist practices and higher probability of extreme statist attitudes among all four cohorts