'Things can only get better': expectations and the welfare state

An influential recent study argues that disenchantment with the achievements of the welfare state results from the comparison between modest welfare performance and the improvements in standards of provision in the non-state sector associated with rising living standards (Glennerster and Hills, 1998). This article analyses recent data from the British Social Attitudes survey to show that dissatisfaction in the flagship area of the National Health Service is associated with underprivilege rather than secure and rising standards of living. The implication is that the traditional defence of state welfare, as providing for those who experience needs which they find difficult to satisfy through the market, may still strike a chord with public opinion.