The Policy-Opinion Nexus: The Impact of Social Protection Programs on Welfare Policy Preferences in China

This study investigates the policy-opinion nexus in China. Using nationally representative survey data and propensity score matching, it examines the effect of policy on opinions in four welfare domains: pension, educational subsidies, health care, and minimum livelihood assistance. Our findings show that individuals' experience with welfare policy tends to reinforce the idea that the government should take responsibility for welfare, and this experience also influences their opinions about other welfare programs. This paper contributes to the literature by using a novel methodological approach and using a new dependent variable concerning individuals' feeling of entitlement for social welfare. The results show strong evidence of the contingent nature of policy feedback process, and show how interpretive effects operate through spillover feedback effects.