The Role of the Government in Addressing Social Issues: Perceptions of Social Work Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore social work students' perceptions of the role of the government in addressing social issues in the United States. Following the Great Depression, the federal government has largely been responsible for the enactment of public policies to address social issues in the U.S. (Segal, 2010). While most people recognize the importance of government, many disagree on the manner and degree in which the federal government should be involved in the lives of private individuals. In recent decades the political and economic climate of the U.S. has moved toward a more conservative ideology; a reduction of funding for social services, and deregulation of government auspices (Karger & Stoesz, 2010) which have created an ambivalence or disregard toward providing assistance and support to populations in need. Examining social work students' perceptions of the role of the government in addressing social issues may enable social work educators to encourage students to further examine their values in regard to further understanding the role, responsibility, and impact local, state, and federal government have in assisting populations in need, which in turn also has profound affect on the wellbeing and sustainability of all populations.

Methods: Data were drawn from a sample of 264 of social work students from two universities in the western part of the United States in the Fall of 2009. The participants were: 81.4% females, 18.6% males; 82.8% White, 17.3% non-White; 69.7% 20-30 years old, 30.4% 31 years old or older. The primary independent variables were demographic variables. The primary dependent variables were perceptions of government initiatives in the areas of employment, health, housing, income maintenance, and nutrition. Logistic regressions were run to analyze the relationship between demographic variables and students' perceptions of the role of government to address social issues.

Results: The results indicated that White students were less likely to perceive that government should work to ensure housing, employment, a basic standard of living, lessen social gaps, and equal opportunities. Older students and students with a bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) were more likely to perceive that government spends too much on social welfare programs. Students with a BSW were also less likely to perceive that the government should work to ensure people's basic necessities.

Implications: If social work is to realize the profession's commitment toward improving the wellbeing of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty, there is clearly a need for the profession to devote its attention to the attitudes and perceptions of social work students. More specifically, social work programs should seek to do the following: (a) emphasize the important role that government has had historically in addressing social issues and the potential for the government to play a major role in addressing current social issues, (b) underscore the crucial role that local, state, and federal government have toward the maintenance of states, communities, and neighborhoods, and (c) encourage the readiness of social work students to engage in advocacy and policy practice at the legislative level.