Social support for public policies in times of crisis: public spending preferences during the pandemic and the Great Recession
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11108Keywords:
Political preferences, attitudes toward public spending, social policies, pandemic, Great RecessionAbstract
What impact have the two recent economic crises had on citizens’ public policy preferences? During the Great Recession government responses focused on the adoption of strict austerity measures while during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought economic activity to a halt, have been oriented towards an unprecedented increase in the budget to immediately address collective needs. These two contexts provide an ideal setting for research on changes in public opinion at critical junctures. In this regard, the article examines the evolution of Spaniards’ public policy preferences since the onset of the 2008 recession, focusing on the period of the pandemic. To this end, attitudes towards public spending in six essential areas are analyzed, based on survey data from 2005 to 2022. The results suggest that spending preferences change significantly in these situations, at least in the short term, and that society supports increased expenditures, although it establishes priorities among public policies. Moreover, these spending priorities are found to have shifted between the Great Recession and the health crisis. Finally, it has been found that there has been some polarization along class and ideological lines.
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