Sanctioning the sick: Do perceptions of activating the sick and diagnosis matter?

Abstract The recent inclusion of behavioural conditionality in health‐related benefit programmes raises questions about frontline workers' (FWs') discretionary use sanctioning. Using an experimental vignette design a survey 824 FWs the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), we investigated whether FWs' perceptions diagnosis sick recipients' obligations affect their propensity to sanction for non‐compliance. We find that diagnoses did not influence Recipients with symptom (ME/CFS) were sanctioned same degree as those based on objective medical evidence (Bekhterev's disease). However, who generally found it difficult impose activity requirements recipients problems also less prone enact sanctions. Our results support notion competing approaches activating sanctioning sick. agree is activate tend avoid sanctioning, whereas more widespread among disagree difficult.