Analysis of Public Opinion and Ideology on Welfare States and Neo-liberalism

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26380177
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Horie Takashi 首都大学東京, 人文科学研究科, 教授 (70347392)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 新自由主義 / 福祉国家 / 世論 / イデオロギー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

By examining opinion poll data, this study analyzed the public opinions on welfare states and on neo-liberalism. The findings are as follows: Support for welfare states and social security systems are still robust, even more than before under the severe economic conditions. Policies related to neo-liberalism such as deregulation and privatization of public services are not so popular. People do not care much about them. They do not seem to think that these policies have some important meanings to their daily lives. This study also has examined the political functions that opinion polls have. In that regard, I have highlighted the two aspects of opinion poll as ‘agenda setter’ and ‘agenda taker’.

Free Research Field

政治学