Determinants of Group Differences in Attitudes Toward Welfare Expansion and Tax Increases in Korea

Abstract

This study analysed the determinants of group differences in attitudes toward welfare expansion and tax increases in Korea. The author examined four groups: those in favor of both welfare expansion and tax increases; (group A); those in favor of welfare expansion but against tax increases (group B); those against both welfare expansion and tax increases (group C), and; those against welfare expansion but in favor of tax increases (group D). I employ the multinominal logit model to achieve the objective of this study. The data used are from the 2013 Korea Welfare Panel Survey (the Additional Survey). The main results are as follows. First, those who perceives that tax administration is unfair, the poor income class compared to the higher income class, the conservative views compared to the central views, people with less than a high school diploma, recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security are more likely to be in group B than group A. Second, the less wealth, the poor income class compared to the higher income class, people with a high school or two-year college degree, the progressive compared to the neutral are more likely to be in group B than group C.