VARFÖR SOLIDARISK? En statistisk analys om egenintresse eller politisk ideologi kan förklara individers solidaritet i Sverige

Abstract

During the last couple of years, several crises have begun to make people question the viability of the welfare states in Europe. Solidarity is identified as the core of the welfare state as it is today, and researchers discuss the possibility that the questioning of the welfare state may have an impact on individual’s perceptions on solidarity as well. Previous research on solidarity is extensive and explain solidarity due to individuals’ vested interest, ideology, and the institutional context. However, research in the Netherlands has shown that individual’s solidarity may not be a uniform concept and identifies five criteria that have an impact on individual’s solidarity. By focusing on two of these criteria as the definition of solidarity, the purpose of the present study is to investigate if theories of individuals’ vested interest or political ideology can explain individual’s solidarity in Sweden. The results from my OLS-regression analysis indicate that individuals’ vested interest has a connection with the need-criterion and political ideology has a connection with the control-criterion. Therefore, my essay shows that both an individual’s socio-economic position (vested interest) and the individual’s political sympathy (ideology) are important factors that may influence individual’s solidarity towards needy groups.