> The largest observed difference in support for spending was between the traditional category "welfare" and the two variant forms "assistance for the poor" and "caring for the poor."
It's the same reason unpleasant jobs have the name of the job changed every 10 to 20 years. Janitorial services, custodial services, sanitation technian, etc... in the beginning, it avoids the stigma of what it is - cleaning up dirt/filth/etc. Over time, people catch up, and you have to change the name of it again. Arguably "Secretary" to "Executive Assistant" is the same thing.
Welfare works similarly - when it's rebranded, it does well for a while, then sinks back down into unpopularity. When someone says "social safety net" these days it tends to evoke a more favorable response, but they usually don't mean anything significantly different from general welfare, unemployment, and other state-provided assistance. But a social safety net doesn't have the same associations with welfare, so it's more favorable right now. If social safety net acquires the same connotations as welfare, the name will be changed again in 10-20 years.
It's the same reason unpleasant jobs have the name of the job changed every 10 to 20 years. Janitorial services, custodial services, sanitation technian, etc... in the beginning, it avoids the stigma of what it is - cleaning up dirt/filth/etc. Over time, people catch up, and you have to change the name of it again. Arguably "Secretary" to "Executive Assistant" is the same thing.
Welfare works similarly - when it's rebranded, it does well for a while, then sinks back down into unpopularity. When someone says "social safety net" these days it tends to evoke a more favorable response, but they usually don't mean anything significantly different from general welfare, unemployment, and other state-provided assistance. But a social safety net doesn't have the same associations with welfare, so it's more favorable right now. If social safety net acquires the same connotations as welfare, the name will be changed again in 10-20 years.