Authors

Stefan Tung¹;  ¹ University College London, UK

Discussion

This study investigates the intersection of ethnicity, birth cohort and associated economic experiences and socio-economic status in shaping welfare attitudes in post-communist Estonia and Latvia. Drawing on data from the 2017 European Values Survey and applying ordinal logistic regression analysis, the study examines how titular majorities (Estonians and Latvians) and Russian-speaking minorities differ in their attitudes towards income redistribution and state-provided welfare.
The findings reveal that ethnicity does not significantly influence attitudes towards income redistribution in Estonia and is only marginally significant in Latvia when socio-economic factors are controlled. A noteworthy finding is that individuals who experienced economic transition during adolescence are less supportive of income equality, especially in Latvia, and exhibit more market-oriented views. In contrast, attitudes towards social welfare show an ethnic divide in Estonia, with ethnic Estonians expressing less support for the government providing social welfare, even after controlling for birth cohort and socio-economic effects. However, socio-economic status plays a critical role in shaping attitudes towards redistribution and social welfare: individuals with higher income and advanced educational attainment tend to express lower support for redistribution and social welfare, aligning with the self-interest hypothesis.
The study concludes that welfare attitudes in Estonia and Latvia are shaped by a complex interplay of ethnicity, socio-economic experiences at adolescence and people’s economic conditions. These findings underscore the need for nuanced, context-specific welfare policies that address both structural inequalities and identity-based cleavages in post-communist societies. Future research should explore how ethnicity or ethnic identity interacts with socio-economic positioning and experiences over time, particularly through qualitative methods that can capture the evolving meanings of identity in post-communist contexts.