scholarly journals Democracy belief systems in Europe: cognitive availability and attitudinal constraint

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-502
Author(s):  
Enrique Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Mass Publics ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Main Components ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
Constitutive Principles

AbstractThere is a growing interest in analyzing what citizens think about democracy. However, gauging citizens’ opinions about a complex concept such as democracy might be hindered by the apparent low levels of political sophistication of mass publics. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on citizens’ views and evaluations of democracy by analyzing to what extent ordinary citizens are capable of developing structured opinions about democracy and its constitutive principles. For this purpose, the paper adapts Converse’s notion of political belief systems to analyze the articulation of individuals’ democracy belief systems (DBS). The first goal of this paper is to conceptualize and operationalize the main components of individuals’ DBS: cognitive availability, horizontal constraint, and vertical constraint. Drawing on data from the sixth round of the European Social Survey, the second goal is to describe the articulation of DBS in Europe. The third and final aim of this paper is to trace the most relevant individual- and country-level correlates of the articulation of the three components of DBS. In line with recent findings about political belief systems in other policy domains, the results indicate that most Europeans have coherently structured attitudes about democracy. However, even if the results imply that Europeans have a relatively articulated DBS, the empirical analysis also reveals some individual- and country-level variation in the articulation of specific components of DBS.

scholarly journals LEFT, RIGHT, AND ANTISEMITISM IN EUROPEAN PUBLIC OPINION

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-371
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Е. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
European Public ◽  
Mass Publics ◽  
Right Wing Populism

Antisemitism has long been found on both the political far-right and farleft. The recent rise in antisemitism worldwide raises the question of whether current antisemitism is found more with the far-right or far-left, the former a function of right-wing populism and the latter with what has been termed the new antisemitism. This paper uses data from the 2014 round of the European Social Survey in 20 nations to test for the connection between ideological selfplacement and antisemitic attitudes in mass publics. Analysis finds greater levels of antisemitism with the extreme far-right compared to the far-left, but extreme leftists appear slightly more antisemitic than moderate leftist. Further, there is less antisemitism than anti-Muslim and anti-Roma (Gypsy) attitudes at all positions on the left-right continuum. The conclusion puts the findings into context and suggests directions for future research.

Choice in Public Health Services: A Multilevel Analysis of Perceived Primary Care Doctor Choice in 22 Countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 1471-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Van de Walle ◽  
Sofie Marien
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Primary Care Doctor ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Primary Care Doctors ◽  
Doctor Choice

The introduction of choice in public services, and in health services more specifically, is part of a wider movement to introduce consumerism in health care. We analyze how citizens perceive the availability of choice of primary care doctors in 22 European countries and the factors that influence their opinions using multilevel analyses and data from the European Social Survey (Round 2, 2004; 22 countries, N = 33,375). We distinguish between individual factors and structural or country-level factors. We find that perceptions of having enough choice are not influenced by the opportunity to freely choose primary care doctors, the density of doctors in a country, or the level of health expenditure. Instead, these perceptions are influenced by individual attributes, such as personal health circumstances, age, sex, location of residence (rural or urban), and level of satisfaction with the health system.

Social capital and self-rated health among older adults: a comparative analysis of Finland, Poland and Spain

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELENI KOUTSOGEORGOU ◽  
FREDRICA NYQVIST ◽  
MIKAEL NYGÅRD ◽  
MILDA CERNIAUSKAITE ◽  
RUI QUINTAS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Good Health ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
General Trust ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Eu

ABSTRACTThe aim of this paper is to investigate the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and self-rated health among adults aged 50 or more, living in three countries: Finland, Poland and Spain. The study, which was based on data from the European Social Survey (2008/09), was a part of the EU research project COURAGE in Europe. More specifically the paper assesses the association between social capital indicators – informal social network and general trust – and good self-rated health through single-level and joint effects analyses. The results showed that Finland was a country of high social capital, in terms of both social networks and general trust, while Spain showed low levels of general trust and Poland low levels of informal social networks. As to the association between social capital and self-rated health, high levels of general trust and high networks were found to be associated with good health among all countries' respondents. Older persons living in partnerships, with higher education, higher levels of engagement in informal networks and general trust, were found to be more likely to show good self-rated health. Our comparative analyses revealed different associations between social capital and health according to country.

scholarly journals An East–West comparison of healthcare evaluations in Europe: Do institutions matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Popic ◽  
Simone M. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Out Of Pocket Payments ◽  
Welfare Attitudes ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
East West

Differences in welfare attitudes of Eastern and Western Europeans have often been explained in terms of legacies of communism. In this article, we explore evaluations of healthcare systems across European countries and argue that East–West differences in these evaluations are explained by differences in the current institutional design of healthcare systems in the two regions. The empirical analysis is based on the fourth round of the European Social Survey, applying multilevel and multilevel mediation analysis. Our results support the institutional explanation. Regional differences in healthcare evaluations are explained by institutional characteristics of the healthcare system, that is, lower financial resources, higher out-of-pocket payments, and lower supply of primary healthcare services in Eastern compared to Western European countries. We conclude that specific aspects of the current institutional design of healthcare systems are crucial for understanding East–West differences in healthcare evaluations and encourage research to further explore the relevance of institutions for differences in welfare state attitudes across socio-political contexts.

Ageism, Religiosity, and Wellbeing Among Older Adults: Evidence From the European Social Survey (ESS4)

2020 ◽  
pp. 016402752095363
Author(s):  
Harris Hyun-soo Kim ◽  
Jong Hyun Jung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Systemic Discrimination ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Research shows that ageism (systemic discrimination against people because of their age) significantly undermines physical and psychological wellbeing, particularly among older adults. Our aim is to contribute to the literature by investigating whether this negative association varies across national religious context. We estimate multilevel models by drawing on a subset of data (ages 55 and above) from the fourth round of the European Social Survey (2008/2009). We find that ageism is negatively related to measures of wellbeing (happiness, life satisfaction, self-rated health). More importantly, the relationship is less pronounced in countries with higher levels of religiosity. These findings suggest that the country’s religious environment serves as a buffer against deleterious health consequences of ageism for the older population. Our study thus provides additional evidence on ageism as a critical risk factor and sheds novel light on the moderating role of country-level religiosity as a protective factor.

scholarly journals Do managers sleep well? The role of gender, gender empowerment and economic development

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247515
Author(s):  
Xiao Tan ◽  
Leah Ruppanner ◽  
David Maume ◽  
Belinda Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Gender Empowerment ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Context Data ◽  
Gender Development Index ◽  
Status Theory

Work demands often disrupt sleep. The stress of higher status theory posits that workers with greater resources often experience greater stress. We extend this theory to sleep and ask: do managers report more disrupted sleep and does this vary by gender and country context? Data come from the 2012 European Social Survey Programme and our sample comprised those currently employed in their prime working age (n = 27,616; age 25–64) in 29 countries. We include country level measures of the Gender Development Index (GDI) and gross domestic product (GDP). We find that workers sleep better, regardless of gender, in countries where women are empowered. For managers, women sleep better as GDI increases and men as GDP increases. Our results suggest that men experience a sleep premium from economic development and women from gender empowerment.

In God we trust…and Caesar too? Evaluating the link between religiosity and trust in government

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Creel
Keyword(s):  
European Social Survey ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Developed World

PurposeThe study aims to establish that religiosity has a positive link with government trust, making the secularization trend all the more likely to further erode this already fragile resource.Design/methodology/approachThrough the use of data from the World Values Survey and European Social Survey the link between religiosity and trust in government is examined.FindingsReligiosity and trust in government are positively linked in aggregate data.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis is based on aggregated data, not individual countries, and religiosity is a complex concept to measure.Practical implicationsSecularization will have a long-term negative effect on government trust. Low levels of trust in government in the West are likely here to stay, or even worsen, as populations continue to secularize.Social implicationsWith less trust in government, it will be more difficult to govern effectively.Originality/valueThe author has not yet seen a full test on how secularization will impact trust in government. In fact, this study makes clear that the trend goes a long way explaining why trust in government has been falling in the developed world for decades.

The impact of contextual factors on party responsiveness regarding immigration issues

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Vrânceanu
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
System Configuration ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Public Preferences ◽  
The Public ◽  
Radical Right Parties ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

During the last decades, the immigration phenomenon has gained increasing relevance in the European political space. This article examines to what extent the responsiveness of mainstream parties to the public opinion on immigration and to the objective migration context is affected by the party system configuration. The empirical analysis relies on data from the Comparative Manifesto Project, the European Social Survey, ParlGov database and OECD annual indicators on migration inflows, covering 17 European countries over the period 2003–2013. Based on cross-classified multilevel models, the results suggest that the presence of strong radical right parties enhances the responsiveness of mainstream parties to public preferences and the migration context.

The relationship between fear of crime and risk perception across Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Krulichová
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Victimization Risk ◽  
Victimization Rate ◽  
The Relationship

Cross-national comparisons of fear of crime have been gaining in popularity within the academic community, as they allow for the examination of both individual and country-level correlates of this phenomenon. Nevertheless, the role of perceived victimization risk in fostering fear of crime with respect to various country specifics is often neglected. Drawing on data from the European Social Survey Round 5 (ESS R5), the aim of this study is to explore the relationship between fear of crime and risk perception in the context of 23 European countries. Risk perception is positively correlated with fear of crime in all of the analysed countries, although the strength of the relationship differs. Contrary to expectations, countries with a higher victimization rate exhibit a weaker relationship between fear of crime and risk perception, while in countries with a lower victimization rate, risk perception plays a relatively important role in shaping fear of crime. No effect of unemployment rate, size of migrant population or income inequality was found in the data.

scholarly journals Health and Culture: The Association between Healthcare Preferences for Non-Acute Conditions, Human Values and Social Norms

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12808
Author(s):  
Ingmar Leijen ◽  
Hester van Herk
Keyword(s):  
Random Effect ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Human Values ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Societal Pressure ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
Fundamental Values

Preference for professional vs. non-professional or informal healthcare for non-acute medical situations influences healthcare use and varies strongly across countries. Important individual and country-level drivers of these preferences may be human values (the fundamental values that individuals hold and guide their behavior) and country-level characteristics such as social tightness (societal pressure for “acceptable” behavior). The aim of this study was to examine the relation of these individual and country-level characteristics with healthcare preferences. We examined European Social Survey data from 23,312 individuals in 16 European countries, using a multi-level, random effect approach, including individual and country-level factors. Healthcare preferences were explained by both human values (i.e., Schwartz values) and societal tightness (i.e., tightness-looseness scores by Gelfand). Stronger conservation increased, whereas self-transcendence and openness to change decreased preference for professional healthcare. In socially tight countries, we found a higher preference for professional healthcare. Furthermore, we found interactions between social tightness and human values. These results suggest that professional healthcare preference is related to both people’s values and societal tightness. This improved understanding is useful for both predicting and channeling healthcare seeking behavior across and within nations.

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