16 research outputs found
The Interplay of Empathy and Individualism in Support for Social Welfare Policies
Public support for government welfare programs is grounded in two
potentially conflicting factors: a belief in individualism which undermines
support for welfare assistance, and the capacity for empathy which
potentially enhances support. However, empathy is an expensive
psychological commodity subject to pervasive up- and down-regulation.
This study examines the degree to which a belief in individualism affects
the expression of compassionate support for a person in need among
those with the capacity for empathy. In two online survey experiments,
empathic ability powerfully increases support for a welfare recipient and
social welfare policies when it does not conflict with individualism. But,
empathic ability decreases compassion and support for government
welfare among strong individualists. Evidence that individualists downregulate empathy for someone in need of government assistance is
consistent with the conservative view that welfare promotes dependency
and undermines individual agency. In contrast, charitable assistance is
not associated with long-term dependency and we find that empathy is
up-regulated by strong individualists to generate charitable support for
the same individual to whom they denied government assistance. The
up- and down-regulation of empathy in response to someone in need of
government welfare helps illuminate the sharp divisions over social
welfare policy among the American publi