Public services delivered by hospitals, schools, courts, or government administrations affect the lives of many and serve as points where people directly interact with public institutions and governments. Satisfaction is widely used to measure the performance of public services from a citizens’ perspective. Although public satisfaction may reflect many different aspects of services – such as access, affordability, courtesy and timeliness – it can provide a general, aggregate measure of service performance across countries (Baredes, 2022). Satisfaction with public services also influences trust in government and other public institutions such as the civil service (OECD, 2022).
In OECD countries, most people (68%) reported being satisfied with the healthcare system in 2022 (Figure 3.2). However, there are wide variations across countries. In Switzerland 92% were satisfied with the healthcare system, the highest among OECD countries followed by Belgium at 90%. Despite comparatively high out-of-pocket expenditure, Switzerland fares comparatively well in other aspects of access and quality, resulting in high overall levels of satisfaction.
Across OECD countries, 67% are satisfied with the education system, with Norway (87%), Finland (85%), Switzerland (84%) and Ireland (84%) reporting the highest rates (Figure 3.2). Satisfaction with education varies more across countries than for healthcare and justice, with a 66 percentage point difference between the highest and lowest. Comparatively low rates in some countries might be explained by the need for more resources and improved infrastructure, especially during the transformation to services brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in several OECD countries, not all students had the same opportunities for remote learning during the pandemic. On average across OECD countries, 9% of 15-year-old students do not have a quiet place to study in their home (OECD, 2020).
Justice services are used by a smaller share of the population than health and education. Accordingly, confidence in the judicial system and the courts is less likely to be based on experience than with healthcare and education. Over half (56%) of citizens in OECD countries reported having confidence in their country's judicial system and courts. There are significant differences across OECD countries, with more than 80% of citizens in Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland reporting confidence in the justice system (Figure 3.2).
Getting a passport, certificate or licence are other services requiring interaction between people and the administration. On average, 63% people in 22 surveyed OECD countries felt highly satisfied with administrative services, reaching around 80% in Luxembourg and the Netherlands (Figure 3.3).
