MAIN FINDINGS FROM THE 2020 RISKS THAT MATTER SURVEY.

56 Pages·2021·6.239 MB·English

by  OECD.

Main Findings from the
2020 Risks that Matter Survey
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Main Findings from the 2020
Risks that Matter Survey
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Please cite this publication as:
OECD (2021), Main Findings from the 2020 Risks that Matter Survey, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/b9e85cf5-en.
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Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1. Taking the pulse of OECD countries 13
1.1. Staying healthy and paying the bills:
Unpacking short-term risk perceptions
1.2. Retirement, health and long-term care
dominate long-term perspectives
1.3. Risk perceptions are well founded
2. Is social protection working? . . . . . . 29
2.1. A social contract for a pandemic
2.2. Low public confidence in income support
2.3. Mixed perceptions of public programme
effectiveness
2.4. Whose programme is this? Public opinion
about programme design
3. Calls for greater social protection -
if the price is right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.1. Support for a government safety
net remains high throughout the OECD
3.2. Putting a price tag on social security
3.3. How to fund social programmes?
Redistributive preferences in a pandemic
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Annex A. Occurrence of financial
difficulties during COVID-19 . . . . . . . . 51
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5
Foreword
The OECD Risks that Matter programme is for government action. A first brief drawing
a key output of the 2018 OECD Social Policy on RTM 2020 data, entitled “The Long Reach
Ministerial in Montréal, Canada. Ministers of COVID-19” (OECD, 2021 ), was published
[1]
called on the OECD to help governments in spring 2021, focusing on households’
better incorporate citizens’ opinions in the economic insecurity. The current report
policy making process, better understand presents broader results – on general risk
both real and perceived risks people face, perceptions and preferences for government
and better adapt social protection to a world policies – from the RTM 2020 survey.
characterised by rapidly changing risks
The COVID-19 crisis has created an urgent
and opportunities. These priorities were
need to put in place smart and holistic social
outlined in the Social Policy Ministerial
policy responses to address the challenges
Statement, entitled “Social Policy for Shared
people have been facing. With this urgency
Prosperity: Embracing the Future” (https://
in mind, this report situates risk perceptions
www.oecd.org/social/ministerial/).
and social policy preferences in the context
In line with these goals, the OECD launched of the pandemic. The OECD finds that
the first Risks that Matter (RTM) survey in respondents are very worried about their
spring 2018 under the supervision of the health, economic security, and long-term
OECD’s Employment, Labour and Social care. People who suffered job disruption
Affairs Committee. Results from RTM 2018 during the pandemic, youths, and women
showed that people in even the wealthiest are particularly stressed. And across
countries in the world were clearly worried OECD countries, respondents are critical
about their health and economic security, about the degree of government support
and they wanted government to do more they receive. Most are calling for greater
when providing social protection. government intervention to ensure social
protection.
Informed by these findings, the Secretariat
began planning the 2020 round of RTM As the economic recovery takes shape,
with a focus on economic insecurity and governments must better incorporate citizen
incorporating citizen feedback in policy feedback in programme design and reform – to
design. But when COVID-19 struck, the ensure inclusive and sustainable growth that
focus shifted to better capture people’s benefits everyone.
experiences during the pandemic.
In autumn 2020, RTM 2020 survey asked
25 000 respondents across 25 OECD countries
about their experiences during the pandemic,
their risk perceptions, and their preferences
6 Main Findings from the 2020 Risks that Matter Survey © OECD 2021
Acknowledgements
This report was written by Valerie Frey, The project was financially supported by
under the supervision of Monika Queisser, member countries’ voluntary contributions.
Senior Counsellor and Head of Social Policy Academic researchers at the University of
at the OECD; Mark Pearson, Deputy Director Konstanz (Marius Busemeyer, Sebastian
of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Koos and Florian Kunze) and the University
Labour and Social Affairs; and Stefano of Lausanne (Carlo Knotz, Mia Gandenberger,
Scarpetta, Director of the OECD Directorate Maude Lavanchy, Giuliano Bonoli, Flavia
for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. Fossati, Rafael Lalive, Joël Wagner and
the Center Enterprise 4 Society) provided
Adriana Rakshana, Chris Clarke, and Maxime
constructive feedback on questionnaire
Ladaique provided valuable statistical support
content and design and financially supported
at various stages of data collection and
subsections of the survey. On the part of
analysis. Liv Gudmundson led the publication
the University of Konstanz team, financial
process and layout design. Fatima Perez and
support from the Cluster of Excellence
Alastair Wood were also instrumental in
“The Politics of Inequality” (Deutsche
publication and dissemination.
Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Grant No.
The report benefitted from useful feedback
EXC 2035/1) is gratefully acknowledged.
from Delegates to the OECD Working Party
on Social Policy and the OECD Employment,
Labour and Social Affairs Committee, as
well as Emanuele Ciani, Sarah Kups, Veerle
Miranda and Marissa Plouin of the OECD.
Main Findings from the 2020 Risks that Matter Survey © OECD 2021 7
Main Findings from the 2020 Risks that Matter Survey © OECD 2021 8