The Relationship Between Perceptions of Social Service Quality and Well-being (or vice versa?)

The primary question addressed in the current study is how perceptions of the quality of social services affect people's well-being. Since a central goal of social services is to enhance people's well-being, exploring the connection between the two is an intriguing question that has not been sufficiently discussed. However, drawing inspiration from the policy feedback literature and new insights from other disciplines that challenge one-way causality, we explored whether there is an effect in the opposite direction. Thus, the second question is: Does people's well-being affect their perceptions regarding the quality of services? To investigate these questions, we employed a quantitative method based on a multi-level analysis of the 2016 European Quality of Life Survey, which includes 33 European countries and approximately 37,000 respondents aged 18 and over. Preliminary findings indicate that while the connection is relevant in both directions, the influence of the perception of service quality on well-being is more prominent. Furthermore, welfare regimes and the type of services impact the relationship between perceptions of service quality and well-being. The study offers both empirical and theoretical contributions to the policy feedback literature. Moreover, it has practical implications for policymakers, enabling them to prioritize the most influential social services.