Disabled but not deserving? The perceived deservingness of disability welfare benefit claimants

While disability benefits make up the largest group of claimants in high-income countries, we know surprisingly little about which disabled people are seen as ‘deserving’ benefits, nor whether different countries judge deservingness-related characteristics similarly. This is surprising given they increasingly focus retrenchment, often affirms deservingness ‘truly deserving’ while focusing cuts and demands on those ‘less deserving’. article addresses this gap using two vignette-based factorial survey experiments: (i) nine-country ‘Stigma Global Context – Mental Health Study’ (SGC-MHS); (ii) a new YouGov Norway/the UK, together with UK replication. I find hierarchy symptoms/impairments, from wheelchair use (perceived most deserving), to schizophrenia back pain, fibromyalgia, depression finally asthma (least deserving). Direct manipulations also influence judgements, including membership ethnic/racial ingroups particularly blameworthiness medical legitimation. In contrast, effects work ability, age history relatively weak, when compared unemployed claimants. Finally, for non-disabled claimants, confirm previous findings that right-wingers respond more strongly characteristics, but Norwegians Britons For however, existing picture challenged, with, example, responding these than Norwegians. conclude by drawing implications policy, politics role legitimation legitimacy challenges increasing mental health benefit recipiency.