Immigrants' attitudes towards social redistribution, government intervention and the welfare state: A comparison of Turkish, Moroccan and native Belgians.

The presence of immigrants has set off a debate on ‘who is in and who is out’ the protection of the welfare state. In this respect, migrants are easily seen as a strain for economy and welfare state. Surprisingly, most research about attitudes toward government intervention and welfare state is based on a majority perspective, while the attitudes of ethnic minorities has been largely neglected. Ethnic minorities have however a remarkable dual position, as they are both citizens and more likely dependent on the welfare system. Our project aims to explain how the dual position of Belgian citizens of Moroccan and Turkish origin affects their attitudes toward government intervention, redistribution and welfare state. Do the attitudes of Turkish and Moroccan ethnic minority groups differ from each other and native Belgians, and do they use other criteria to decide who deserves social benefits? Are they in favor or against granting recent newcomers social rights? The general objective of this research is to investigate ethnic minorities’ attitudes towards social redistribution, government intervention and welfare state and its relationship with social-structural characteristics, general attitudes and feelings of resentment. The analysis is based on the data of the Belgian National Election Study and the Belgian Ethnic Minorities Election Study collected among Belgian citizens with a native (N=1901), Turkish (N=447) and Moroccan (N=437) background in 2015.