Session 3 Slides for the Subject: Public, Policies and Public Services in Melb Uni

1. Attitudes to government, parties and the role
of government

2. Levels of trust in Australia

3. Political trust (the consequences)
Declining levels of political trust in Australia and the advanced
democracies
BUT it’s important to distinguish between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ antipathy

4. Confidence in Various
Institutions
100
91
90
80 79
80
70
60 54 53
50 45 44 43 41 40
40
31 29
30 23
20 17
10
0

5. Attitudes Towards the Role of
Government
The role of government is one of the most central
questions in public policy
Related to questions of freedom versus equality
These questions map onto the party system

6. Theories Explaining Attitudes
Towards the Role of Government
1. Party identification
2. Demographics factors
3. Rational choice theory
4. Overload theory

7. The Data: Role of Government

8. The Data: Support for Gov’t Spending

9. To conclude…….
Citizens support big government
Perhaps as a reaction to globalisation
And this is at odds with elite rhetoric

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