ANALYSIS
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The adequacy and quality of public services have been found to be key determinants in shaping social cohesion, confidence in public institutions and perceived quality of life, according to a major study by the European Union think tank, Eurofound.
Picking up on earlier studies indicating a "crisis of trust" in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, the study reported that trust in national and EU institutions had bounced back to pre-crisis levels, while civic engagement had increased, and perceived social exclusion had decreased.
Trust and social cohesion bounced back to pre-crisis levels across the EU, with people in Finland and Denmark having the highest trust in national institutions. According to OECD figures, Finland, with 30.8 per cent of public social spending as a proportion of GDP, was second on the list behind only France (31.5 per cent). Denmark was fifth on 28.7 per cent. By comparison, Australia is ranked at 22, with 19.1 per cent.
The findings, although based on research in EU member states, have policy lessons for Australia where a number of surveys, such as the Social Research Institute at Ipsos, have identified declining trust in institutions.
Eurofound's new flagship study, "Challenges and prospects in the EU: Quality of life and public services", reports that during the GFC trust levels fell considerably in terms of perceptions of both national governments and EU institutions, with the countries hit hardest economically reporting the lowest levels of trust.
Trust is an important indicator of the well-being of citizens and the overall cohesion of society, and the perception of the quality of public services is a particularly strong determinant of trust, acting as the dominant medium through which individuals experience how the state functions, the report noted.
It identifies several factors that influence an individual's perception of trust, which includes their economic situation, the perceived quality of public services, societal tensions, levels of tertiary education and the political integrity of the government. Furthermore, it highlights that people with lower levels of perceived security in terms of housing, employment or old-age income have considerably lower trust in institutions compared to those with higher levels of economic security.
A key finding of the report identifies improvement in the delivery of quality public services and engagement of the public in the co-design of services are fundamental to increasing trust and social cohesion.
"Public services such as health, education, social care and transport are essential for achieving high levels of social protection, social cohesion and social inclusion. But it is the quality of and access to services that determines their success across a changing social and demographic landscape," it notes.
The challenge for policymakers is to ensure the design and delivery of health and social services that meet the varied needs of citizens. That challenge has been compounded by severe financial constraints in recent years and by increasing demand, driven in part by demographic ageing and, in some part, by the influx of refugees to Europe.
In addition to affordability and quality, newer issues are also emerging. These include the risk that new digital channels for service delivery may isolate already disadvantaged communities and the potential threat of increasing diversity of service providers on access to and quality of public services.
The report focuses on the status of public services, which are understood to be services for the public, regardless of whether they are provided by the public sector, private initiative or a mixed partnership. Such services were deemed to be of a high quality if they were:
- Easily accessible;
- The quality of care received is high; and
- People are treated equally by the services and the services are free of corruption.
Recognising the fact that the quality of people's lives is profoundly influenced by their access to quality provision in areas such as education, health, housing and social services, the report pays particular attention to regional and social inequalities and, where possible, changes over time. Some key findings include:
- Perception of tensions in society has the most detrimental impact on trust in institutions, while perceived quality of public services is a key driver for higher trust in institutions;
- Civic participation, particularly volunteering, is associated with higher levels of trust;
- More and more flexible long-term care provision is needed. Home care and help should be made more available, especially in the half of EU Member States where income is lowest;
- Prompt access to primary healthcare, social care and long-term care can stimulate early intervention, monitoring of changing needs and prevent escalation of long-term care problems; and
- Mental health issues are increasing for young people, though it is not clear whether this is due to higher incidence or better awareness and diagnosis. Mental health is closely related to other youth issues and can both be an outcome of inequalities and a source of inequality itself. Risk factors for mental health issues include disability and long-term illness, family problems, relationship problems with peers and heavy social media use.
While the results present an uneven picture regarding service quality, they do provide indications of how to offer more satisfactory support. Public services are recognised as a cornerstone of the European Pillar of Social Rights, with a particular focus on promoting access to quality services for all. Assessments of the quality of public services (particularly health care and childcare) have improved, particularly in countries where quality ratings were previously low. High levels of active citizenship and civic engagement reflect positive benefits, with great potential for further investment in this area to boost trust and cohesion.
Rates of loneliness, poor mental health and social exclusion are particularly high for older people in central and eastern Europe - in part due to poorly developed care services. There are also strong indications of increased risk of mental health problems among those aged 12-24 years, with many hard groups to reach, such as persons with chronic health problems, living in rural areas and not in education or employment. And while satisfaction with different aspects of health care has improved, many people were dissatisfied with being informed and consulted about their care - and this proportion was higher among people with low income.
From a policy-making perspective, the report suggests areas for further reflection and action.
Prominent among these is the need to reconsider the role of insecurities and to seek to understand resilience in the context of social cohesion. The report states: "The negative impact of disadvantage and high insecurity on trust in institutions was already known. However, the existence of a threshold of security that makes a substantial difference to trust in institutions suggests that security can be seen as a resource worth investing in."
Public services emerge as an important medium through which trust in institutions is shaped, inviting reflection on how engaging with public services can be utilised as a form of participation in state and society and viewed as more than a simple transaction. Public services could be developed with a participation perspective in mind, exploring the potential of co-design and co-delivery of key social as well as local services.
- Dr Norman Abjorensen is a visiting fellow in the School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at Swinburne University of Technology.