Does risk society erode welfare state solidarity?

An influential literature suggests that one important feature of the transition from modern industrial society is the erosion of existing solidarities. People increasingly understand the risks and uncertainties they face in life as issues of personal failure and responsibility rather than as social problems to be addressed through collective action. A corresponding welfare state literature understands contemporary processes of social policy change as highlighting individual responsibility and proactivity as a result of the constraints on government from globalisation, post-industrialism and other changes.

This article uses recent attitude survey data to investigate whether risk society dissolves the solidarities that provided the foundation for the traditional welfare state, and how far it offers a basis for new solidarities that may maintain support for vulnerable groups.