Satisfaction with Health Care Systems

Abstract

Apart from the market and the family, welfare state institutions undoubtedly have a major impact on the living conditions of individuals and social groups. As a matter of fact, welfare state institutions can be differently organized and geared towards different goals (e.g. supplementing vs. replacing markets, equality vs. security, minimum standards vs. optimal standards), and hence are likely to have different consequences. The focus of this article, however, is not directly on measuring the impact of welfare state programs on living conditions, but rather on the subjective perception of social security as well as on the acceptance of welfare state institutions.