Inconsistent welfare attitude in South Korea:Trends and factors of Not Out of My Pocket (NOOMP)

This study compares longitudinal changes in the scales and characteristics of the ‘not out of my pocket’ (NOOMP) phenomenon, a welfare attitude in South Korea that supports expanding the welfare system but rejects tax increases. Using the Welfare Perception and Attitude Surveys, this study examines shifts in the scales and characteristics of NOOMP for major welfare policies. The results show that NOOMP is being alleviated; alleviation is largest for pensions, followed by public assistance, health insurance, and employment policies. These changes suggest that, to mitigate NOOMP, the welfare system should strengthen the benefit levels of health insurance, improve the gender inequality inherent in the national pension, build a social consensus on increases in public assistance, and expand employment insurance benefits to youth and the elderly.