Political alienation among basic income support recipients in Germany: the role of social exclusion and experiences with welfare state institutions

Beschreibung

"This study explores the link between receiving basic income support (BIS) and political alienation in Germany, with a focus on political trust and satisfaction with democracy. We argue that receiving BIS is associated with experiences of material and social exclusion and impairs subjective social integration. Against the background of major structural welfare reforms in recent decades, we assume that BIS recipients are likely to attribute responsibility for their socio-economic disadvantages to the wider political system. We use data from the Panel Study Labour Market and Social Security (PASS) for the years 2019–2021 and employ multivariate regression analysis. We find that political alienation is more likely to occur among recipients of BIS, especially long-term recipients, than among non-recipients. Social exclusion is an important mechanism: With a higher risk of material deprivation and fewer opportunities for social participation and civic engagement than non-recipients, BIS recipients are more likely to experience subjective social exclusion, which, in turn, contributes to their political alienation. Moreover, our study offers indications that trustful and supportive interactions with welfare authorities can mitigate tendencies of political alienation among BIS recipients." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Cambridge University Press) ((en))

Zitationshinweis

Teichler, Nils & Stefanie Gundert (2025): Political alienation among basic income support recipients in Germany: the role of social exclusion and experiences with welfare state institutions. In: Journal of Social Policy, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1017/S0047279425100913