Individual freedom of choice in the field of social insurance - KSV 2001

This study examines: 1) the public's view on a number of hypothetical schemes, in which they may opt for greater freedom of choice in social insurance. This can be seen as a measure of the support for a number of new arrangements offering choice in the area of disability benefits, unemployment benefit and sickness benefit, and also in relation to the various forms of paid leave (parental leave, study leave, informal care leave); 2) whether respondents feel that they themselves would make use of the proposed schemes, and to what extent this behavioural intention depends on the financial consequences; 3) whether the support for and potential take-up of new schemes derive from urgent needs shared by a large section of the population, or whether other factors, such as rational choices, considerations of principle, stable value systems and personal characteristics, are responsible. The determinants were studied on the basis of the subjective motives put forward by the respondents when measuring the level of support, as well as a large number of other characteristics about which data were collected in the survey because of their potential for providing a theoretical explanation. A need for greater freedom of choice is indicated here by specific subjective motives cited by the respondents, and by background characteristics such as family composition, age, income and health status