Worth beyond Work? Civic Engagement and Social Support Provision of Benefit Recipients

Changes in government assistance laws over the last 30 years reflect concern that government benefits cause dependency. Public discourse classifies able-bodied, non-working individuals as “undeserving” of government assistance and the literature focuses on whether individuals receiving government assistance contribute to society by engaging in paid work. This study investigates if 120 residents of a low-resource community receiving more government assistance contribute to society at the same rates as those receiving less. Multivariate regression analysis results show that receiving more forms of government assistance is not associated with the degrees of civic engagement and social support provided, demonstrating equal social contributions.