The OECD Risks That Matter (RTM) Survey is a biennial cross-national survey examining people’s perceptions of the social and economic risks they face, how well they think their government addresses those risks, and what preferences they have for social protection going forward. This is the most extensive global survey of perceptions of and preferences for social protection. Nationally representative samples in over 25 OECD countries offer governments important insights into how to expand and reform social programmes.
Social and economic risks
Social and economic risks
Global megatrends like population ageing, rising inequalities, climate change, and the changing nature of work are requiring changes in social protection systems to make them fit for the future. This requires a data-driven understanding of what social and economic risks people worry about – and how well they think their government addresses those risks
Key messages
Every two years, the OECD Risks That Matter (RTM) Survey assesses perceptions of social risks and social policy, allowing the OECD to relate these perceptions to ongoing events – such as inflation, the COVID-19 crisis, climate change and technological changes in labour markets. Data from the 2022 OECD RTM, for example, show that high levels of inflation in the past few years have been keenly felt across the board, with nine out of ten respondents being somewhat or very concerned about inflation and costs of living in their country.
Different groups of people – e.g. youth, women, immigrants, parents, minorities, and non-standard workers – have different real and perceived risks and preferred policy responses to these risks. The OECD Risks That Matter (RTM) Survey gives policymakers important insights into potential gaps and inequities, allowing them to take preventive (or responsive) measures as needed. Data from the 2020 RTM, for instance, finds that mothers were more likely than fathers to take on additional unpaid care work as a result of school and childcare facility closures during COVID-19. The work-life conflicts introduced by these closures may have contributed to higher levels of stress and lower levels of mental health and well-being among mothers relative to fathers.
Context
Finances and access to healthcare are major concerns
Looking ahead to the next two years, not being able to make ends meet financially and access to good quality healthcare are a top concern in most countries.
There is, however, considerable variation across countries in levels of concern. In Greece, for example, 86% of respondents are worried about making ends meet, compared to 53% in the Netherlands. There is also considerable variation in the ranking of identified risks across countries. In most countries, concerns about finances and health care sit at the top, but in Mexico, the top concern is crime and violence, where 89% of respondents report that they are somewhat or very concerned about being the victim of crime or violence.
Respondents were also concerned about becoming ill or disabled (60%), not being able to access good quality long-term care for elderly family members (56%), not being able to access to good quality long-term care for young people (49%), not being able to find and maintain adequate housing (48%), experiencing difficulty accessing good quality childcare or education for children (43%), and not working due to care of children, elderly relatives and those with an illness or disability (37%).
Accessing public benefits in times of need
Across countries, few people feel they have straightforward access to public benefits. Close to half (46%) of respondents to the OECD Risks That Matter survey said they do not think they could easily receive public benefits if they needed them. One-quarter (26%) are ambivalent about whether they could receive benefits if needed.
Accessing benefits is seen as particularly hard in countries like Israel and Portugal, where about 2 in 3 respondents disagreed with the statement that public benefits could be easily accessed if they needed them. In the Netherlands and Norway, by contrast, only about 1 in 3 disagreed with the statement.
Doubts about the accessibility of public benefits may stem from a lack of knowledge about application processes, from the belief that application processes are not quick and easy, and from the perception that government offices would not treat claims fairly and equitably.
Taxing the rich
Across countries, respondents want more redistributive government intervention, with 60% of respondents indicating governments should tax the rich more than they currently do in order to support the poor.
There are, however, considerable differences across countries. In Greece, for example, 78% feel that government should engage in more redistribution. In Portugal, this share is 74%. These results compare to a low of 42% in Estonia and Poland, and 43% in Denmark.
OECD research suggests that these views are related to existing levels of income inequality, with a slight positive correlation between the degree of income inequality in a country, measured by the Gini coefficient, and demands for more redistribution and more progressive taxation, measured in the 2020 Risks that Matter survey.
