Media Release

Support for Government Wealth Redistribution Declining
Monday 22 March 2010

The latest Massey University produced Social Inequality Survey has revealed falling support for state redistribution of wealth.

According to welfare commentator Lindsay Mitchell, "The survey of 935 respondents found that while 40 percent of people still think it is the government's job to reduce income inequality, 34 percent, a growing number, disagree."

"Asked whether the government should provide a decent standard of living for the unemployed 43% agreed, but 30% disagreed and 27% were neutral. But only 22% of those surveyed thought that the government should spend less on benefits for the poor. "

Mitchell believes that most New Zealanders don't want to see beneficiaries hurt by cuts to benefits but do want to see fewer people dependent on them.

"Perhaps the most important finding is that the percentage of people who do not think it is the government's job to reduce income differences has increased by 10 percent since 1992. If this is an established trend, in ten or so years, people of this opinion will be in a majority."

"New Zealanders are not mean- spirited or lacking in compassion," Mitchell said. "What I believe this survey shows is that increasingly people are realising that simply transferring cash from one sector to another creates disincentives which result in too many able people depending on the state and making no contribution."

Lindsay Mitchell
Welfare Commentator
ph/fx 04 562 7944
mob 021 132 5968