Hospitals and schools are some of the frontline public institutions where people have a direct experience with public services. While a smaller share of the population interacts with courts, they play a key role in safeguarding fundamental rights and ensuring that a system of checks and balances is in place. Satisfaction with services is considered an outcome of government activity and is monitored by most OECD countries seeking to improve service delivery. However, until today there is no internationally standardised method for conducting surveys on the subject.
The Gallup World Poll regularly collects data on the satisfaction of citizens about a range of public services, including health, education and justice. Although there are many factors that can influence responses to opinion polls –such as recent experience with civil servants, respondent fatigue and response styles-, the dataset allows for comparison of citizen perception over time and across OECD countries.
Satisfaction with health and education, and confidence in the judiciary, have slightly increased, on average, in OECD countries over the past decade. In 2018, 70% of citizens were satisfied with the availability of health care where they lived, a proportion that has remained stable since 2007. In turn, on average, 66% of citizens are satisfied with the education system and schools, a 3 p.p. increase since 2007. Finally, 56% have confidence in the judicial system and courts, which represents, a 4 p.p. increase.
Satisfaction with the health care system is highest in the Netherlands (90%), Belgium (89%), Norway (89%), Denmark (88%) and Switzerland (88%) and lowest in Chile (40%), Latvia (40%) and Greece (42%). While the countries with the highest citizen satisfaction have almost universal public health care, coverage in Chile is among the lowest in the OECD. There have been improvements in citizen satisfaction in health care in Estonia (21 p.p.) and Lithuania (19 p.p.). In contrast, large declines in citizen satisfaction can be observed in Japan (-13 p.p.), France (-10 p.p.), Greece (-10 p.p.) and Luxembourg (-10 p.p.).
Citizens are most satisfied with schools and the education system in Norway (87%), Switzerland (85%), Denmark (84%) and Finland (84%), and least in Turkey (35%), Lithuania (43%) and Hungary (48%). The Netherlands, Switzerland and Israel are among the countries with the largest improvements in citizen satisfaction (16 p.p. and 12 p.p. respectively). In contrast Turkey has experienced the largest decrease (-17 p.p.).
Norway (89%), Denmark (87%) and Switzerland (82%) are countries where the majority of citizens express confidence in the judiciary system. By contrast, Chile (24%) and Latvia (28%) are where the smallest proportion of citizens expresses confidence in justice institutions. Trust in the judiciary system and the courts could be affected by perceptions of other governmental institutions related to law enforcement, such as prosecutors or police officers with whom citizens could have more frequent contact (see Trust in government, page 158).
