The Stigma of Public Dependency: A Comparison of Alternative Forms of Public Aid to the Poor

Beliefs about the stigma associated with 13 different programs and proposals to aid the poor are assessed for a sample of respondents in the Boston SMSA. Evidence is found supporting the following conclusions: (1) there are marked variations in the amount of stigma associated with the various components of the Public Assistance program; (2) the stigma that would be associated with a federal guaranteed income program would be less than that associated with AFDC; (3) the stigma associated with a guaranteed income program would be approximately equal to that which would be associated with a guaranteed job program; (4) the more universalistic programs tend to be less stigmatized than the more categorical programs; (5) those who are more liberal and those who are higher in socioeconomic status tend to rate programs higher in stigma than do those who are more conservative and those who are lower in socioeconomic status.