Inequalities and COVID-19: Impacts of the Health Crisis on Opinions Towards Welfare Recipients and Their Media Representation in Quebec
This article presents the results of a survey conducted in June 2020 amongst 2060 respondents about their opinions regarding social assistance recipients in Quebec. It reports on the impacts of the health crisis on these opinions and provides an analysis of the media coverage of social assistance produced between March 23 and June 25, 2020. This period corresponds to the first lockdown experienced in Quebec due to COVID-19. The conclusions of our work highlight a congruence between lasting negative opinions towards welfare recipients, a low level of social acceptability of the specific aid that could be paid to them during a health crisis, a low level of media coverage of the issues associated with welfare in the context of a health crisis, and the absence of measures undertaken by the Quebec government to mitigate its impacts on welfare recipients.