Research group The research on social policy and welfare conducted at the Department of Sociology primarily focuses on the opinions of the public and policymakers regarding welfare policy. These opinions are understood as both a consequence of current and historical processes and as a prerequisite for the future design of social policy.
The research includes studying welfare as an arena for political conflict and consensus, as well as how different welfare policy configurations—various types of welfare states—impact people's everyday lives and life opportunities. The research conducted also explores how welfare states structure social relations, such as gender and class relations, and how this in turn influences the perceived legitimacy of welfare policies among citizens. Broader societal trends, such as changes in the labor market, new family formation patterns, climate change, and migration, are also studied in relation to how they are filtered through existing welfare policy configurations and how they impact social policy and public attitudes toward welfare.
In practical terms, research is conducted on the Swedish welfare state, as well as from an international perspective, focusing on how individuals, social groups, and entire populations are affected by and contribute to shaping welfare policy. Key decision-makers, such as politicians, are also studied. The methods used are primarily quantitative, comparative, and longitudinal, with a special focus on how contextual differences between countries (mainly in Europe) and lower administrative divisions (municipalities in Sweden) interact with individuals' circumstances and experiences. The data used is a mix of original and existing attitude surveys, official statistics, and international research databases.
Key themes in current research include the so-called "feedback" effects of existing welfare policies on welfare policy attitudes; the significance of social class and class politics; family policy and gender equality ideals; perceived drivers and consequences of welfare privatization among citizens and politicians; how migration and attitudes toward migration are linked to attitudes toward welfare policy; how climate policy and perceptions of climate change are connected to welfare policy and welfare attitudes; and differences in welfare attitudes between men and women.
Since 1986, the Department of Sociology has conducted regular surveys on Swedes' attitudes toward welfare policy—the Welfare State Surveys—which are internationally unique due to their long duration and comprehensive scope. These surveys have contributed in various ways to the political debate on the design and future of welfare policy.
