Modeling Citizens Satisfaction With Higher Education: A Case Study of Rijeka

Abstract

The research subject of this paper is the satisfaction of the citizens of Rijeka with higher education as a public service. The papers aims to a) determine the elements of the construct of citizen satisfaction with higher education as a public service and identify opportunities to enhance citizen satisfaction, that is, raise it to a considerably higher level, and b) to contribute to the creation of higher-education policies in modern circumstances to ensure that all members of society are satisfied with this public service. Research starts from the main hypothesis that most of Rijeka’s citizens are satisfied with higher education as a public service. Auxiliary hypotheses are also formulated. The main and auxiliary hypotheses are tested using descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, the t-test and variance analysis (ANOVA). The main conclusion of this paper is that the satisfaction of Rijeka’s citizens with the quality of services provided by higher education is above average, in particular with the availability of occupations provided by the various types of faculties. On the other hand, the citizens of Rijeka are dissatisfied with the ties between businesses (employers) and the academic community, and with the low degree to which jobs are ensured for top students. Statistically significant differences, with regard to the level of satisfaction with higher education as a public service, are evident among citizens with different educational backgrounds.