The bulk of the literature investigating the connection between social capital and the welfare state explores the impact of the latter one on various manifestations of the first one. The tested assumption is therefore usually related to the effects of the institutional arrangements on the existing resources. Our paper proposes a different approach, focusing on the effects of four social capital indicators on very general attitudes towards the welfare state. Using multilevel models, we show that the less formalized manifestations of social capital are negatively related to the support for a broader welfare state, while for the more formal ones the opposite holds true. Considering the relations between the welfare culture and the shape of the welfare state (as described in the literature), and our findings, we conclude that the institutional arrangements represent both a factor which models social capital, as well as a consequence of the latter one.