Does the Perceived Quality of Social Services Affect Citizens' Well-Being?
Prof. Lihi Lahat and Dr. Chen Sharony*
The core goal of the welfare state and its social services is to improve the well-being of its citizens. However, the connection between how people perceive the quality of social services and their subjective well-being has been largely underexplored.
A new study conducted by Prof. Lihi Lahat, Dr. Chen Sharony, Guy Van-Dam, and Prof. Nir Sharon—based on a collaboration between scholars in social policy and applied mathematics—sheds light on the relationship between citizens’ perceptions of social service quality and their sense of well-being.
The study employed a multi-level analysis of data from the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), covering 28 countries. It examined how public perceptions of the quality of services such as healthcare, education, childcare, public housing, and pensions influence individual well-being.
The findings suggest that the more positively people perceive the quality of social services, the higher their reported level of well-being. Interestingly, the reverse relationship was also significant: people with higher subjective well-being are more likely to perceive social services as higher in quality. However, the impact of service quality on well-being is more substantial than the reverse.
The study also found that education and childcare are the most influential services in shaping well-being. Additionally, a country's welfare regime (e.g., social-democratic vs. liberal) affects both perceptions of service quality and perceptions of well-being. Citizens in social-democratic countries reported higher levels in both dimensions.
A unique insight, enabled by an advanced mathematical tool called Diffusion Maps, revealed that individuals with lower levels of well-being tend to have more homogeneous perceptions of social service quality. In contrast, those with higher well-being have more heterogeneous views.
These findings carry significant implications for policymakers. Services that involve direct and daily interaction with citizens, such as education and childcare, have a substantial impact on well-being. Thus, while other services are undoubtedly essential, public investment in these areas may play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of well-being.
The distinction between homogeneous and heterogeneous perceptions of service quality across groups with varying levels of well-being also raises important questions about how public perceptions of the quality of social services should be assessed. This insight may also have implications for the design and delivery of services.
To read the full article (open access):
Lahat, L., Sharony, C., Van-Dam, G., & Sharon, N. (2025). The Relationship Between Perceptions of Social Service Quality and Subjective Well‐Being, Social Policy & Administration.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spol.13141
Authors
Prof. Lihi Lahat – Department of Public Policy and Administration, Sapir Academic College; Affiliated Professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Department of Political Science, Concordia University, Montreal.
Dr. Chen Sharony – Department of Public Policy and Administration, Sapir Academic College; Department of Public Policy and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; School of Social Work and Department of Management, Jerusalem Multidisciplinary Center.
Guy Van-Dam – Department of Applied Mathematics, Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Nir Sharon – Department of Applied Mathematics, Tel Aviv University.
* A Hebrew version of this post will be published in ESPANet Israel posts.
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