This paper relates the findings of an exploratory study of opinions on the role of the state in welfare to issues of social integration. The focus is on public opinion about the interrelation of welfare provision and the means used by governments to finance it. The analysis shows that ideas in this area are complex and that value judgements about the nature of the welfare state appear to playas important a role as conceptions of self-interest. The suggestion of some recent writing that divisions on the lines of perceived group interest threaten social legitimacy is not confirmed. However, there is also little evidence for the view that state welfare provision may playa strong positive role in generating a moral commitment to social integration. The considerations that influence people’s judgements reflect a complex interpenetration of the interests on the one hand and evaluations on the other that underlie each of these positions.