International Journal of Social Economics

Citizens and expatriates satisfaction with public services in Qatar – evidence from
a survey
Nada Abdelkader Benmansour,
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Nada Abdelkader Benmansour, (2018) "Citizens and expatriates satisfaction with public services in
Qatar – evidence from a survey", International Journal of Social Economics, https://doi.org/10.1108/
IJSE-03-2018-0118
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Citizens and
Citizens and expatriates expatriates
satisfaction with public services satisfaction

in Qatar – evidence from a survey

Nada Abdelkader Benmansour
Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Received 5 March 2018
Revised 5 July 2018
Accepted 23 July 2018
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze citizens’ and expatriates’ satisfaction with public service
delivery in Qatar, one of the world’s highest per capita incomes countries.
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Design/methodology/approach – The author uses a 2017 survey conducted in Qatar among both Qatari
and expatriates’ respondents. The scientifically grounded sample consisted of 1,356 respondents, who were
18 years of age and older. The data were collected through a face-to-face survey. The focus was on citizen
satisfaction with basic public services such as education, health, roads and infrastructure, water and
electricity and government services. The author uses logit and regression analysis to estimate the
determinants of satisfaction.
Findings – Expatriates hold more positive feelings about local public services than citizens. The highest
levels of satisfaction are with government offices and the lowest levels of satisfaction are with independent
schools. The dispersion by municipality is less significant as there is no municipality where citizens and
expatriates are totally satisfied with all the public services provided.
Research limitations/implications – Qatar has one of the fastest population growth and highest migrant
population which makes the question of the satisfaction with public services unique. And, since the blockade
on Qatar in May 2017 and the environment of economic restriction, the issue becomes even more critical.
Originality/value – Until now, there have been no empirical studies published analyzing the level of
satisfaction with public services in Qatar for citizens and for expatriates.
Keywords Qatar, Public services, Citizen satisfaction, Public service delivery
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Qatar has one of the fastest population growth and higher migrant population in the world
(World Bank, 2014). More than 80 percent of the population consists of non-nationals
and as for 2013, 31.2 percent of the foreign workers in Qatar where from India, 23.5 percent
from Nepal, 11.4 percent from the Philippines and 10.1 percent from Arab countries
(De Bel-Air, 2014). The rapidly growing and heterogenic population makes it uniquely
important to measure the satisfaction with public services and the level of life satisfaction in
Qatar, one of the world’s highest per capita incomes countries.
Measuring citizens’ satisfaction with public services is at the heart of a citizen-centric
approach to service delivery and is a crucial indicator of the overall government
performance. Because when governments deliver services based on the needs of the people
using the services, they can increase public satisfaction and reduce costs.
Citizen satisfaction research has explained the variance in the evaluations of public
services with some non-service-related factors such as the socioeconomic and
sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents (Brown and Coulter, 1983; Stipak,
1977). On the other hand, experience with public services has a relative influence on how
citizens evaluate their own quality of life in a sense that a high level of public
services quality drives a high rating of the quality of life. Rose and Newton (2010) show
how a person perceives her quality of life, is shaped, among other things, by the public
International Journal of Social
Economics
The author of this paper has not made their research data set openly available. Any enquiries © Emerald Publishing Limited
0306-8293
regarding the data set can be directed to the corresponding author. DOI 10.1108/IJSE-03-2018-0118
 IJSE services available and the standard in which they are delivered. If public services
are provided to a high standard, the quality of life is improved and positively perceived
by the citizens.
Until now, there have been no empirical studies published analyzing the level of
satisfaction with public services in Qatar for citizens and for expatriates neither
their satisfaction with the quality of life. Therefore, this study seeks to examine
citizens’ and expatriates’ satisfaction with public services and the level of life satisfaction
in Qatar.

Satisfaction with public services and citizens surveys

In an environment of economic restriction, public service organizations rely on feedback
from their users to make effective decisions about their services. In most OECD (2017)
countries, public sector organizations and services monitor, on a regular basis, citizen
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satisfaction with public services in order to assess the impact of reforms and identify areas
that need further actions.
Measuring citizens’ satisfaction with public services has become the essence of a citizen-
centric approach to service delivery and an important component of organizational
performance. Citizens’ satisfaction with public services represents a critical indicator of
overall government performance. The underlying assumption behind the satisfaction
surveys is that there is a relationship between the quality of a service and the level of its
users’ satisfaction. A variation of the service quality is assumed to generate a variation in
the level of satisfaction.

Theoretical background
The attention given to satisfaction indicators is not new. At the end of the 1970s and
beginning if the 1980s, there was an increase in satisfaction surveying especially with
regard to local services (Stipak, 1979). Citizen satisfaction surveys were an established
method for US local government to measure the quality of local government services for
several decades (Ryzin et al., 2004). Then, in the 1990s, many local initiatives started
at the context of government like the American Customer Satisfaction Index or the
Canadian Common Measurement Tool. Satisfaction surveys are viewed as having a
significant appeal as a practical method of measuring the impact of governance and an easy
mode for policy makers to measure the impact of governance reforms on government
(Akinloye Akinboade et al., 2012).
Surveys of citizen’s satisfaction with public services have become popular in recent
decades reflecting several mega-trends in governance and administration, including
neoliberalism and new public management (NPM) (Howard, 2010). They received a
significant boost in popularity and status in the early 1990s, with Osborne and Gaebler’s
(1992) Reinventing Government publication which generated a new interest in thinking of
citizens as customers.
Indeed, by the late 1970s, there was increasing criticism by the neoliberals of the size,
cost and the role of government, and doubts about the capacity of governments to rectify
economic problems. The belief was that the Keynesian welfare state and its large
monopolistic public bureaucracies are inherently inefficient. The reward system in the
public sector does not promote effective performance and politicians and bureaucrats have
no incentives to control costs (Chapman, 1979). And there is also little regard for customers
and results (Bereton, 1994). Thus, the central assumption of NPM is that there are benefits in
terms of efficiency and effectiveness in exposing public sector activities to market pressures
and in using markets to serve public purposes, and that government can learn from the
private sector despite contextual differences (Hood, 1991; Osborne and Gaebler, 1992).
According to the neoliberals, it is only through market competition that economic
 efficiency can be achieved and the public offered market choice (Bereton, 1994; Hayek, 1973; Citizens and
Niskanen, 1971; Buchanan, 1975; Mueller, 1979). The traditional model of organization and expatriates
delivery of public services, based on the principles of bureaucratic hierarchy, planning, satisfaction
centralization, direct control and self-sufficiency, is being replaced by a market-based public
service management (Stewart and Walsh, 1992; Walsh, 1995; Flynn, 1993) or enterprise
culture (Mascarenhas, 1993). Practices such as the promotion of various forms of
relationships with private firms, the development of performance management systems and
customer service orientation are implemented. The question of citizen-as-customer model
has been introduced as the use of performance measures is assumed to maximize service
effectiveness with the implicit assumption that improvements in service performance along
some measurable dimensions would be reflected in increased consumer satisfaction
(Osborne and Gaebler, 1992).
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Citizen satisfaction surveys

In most OECD (2017) countries, public sector organizations and services monitor, on a
regular basis, citizen satisfaction with public services to assess the impact of reforms and
identify areas that need further actions.
Indeed, citizen satisfaction surveys can show citizen satisfaction with the overall service
quality and/or specific service dimensions like timeliness, competence courtesy (Kelly and
Swindell, 2002). They can also reveal different levels of satisfaction in different geographic
areas or among different types of the population (Stipak, 1979). Such information can help
identifying which aspects of service delivery drive satisfaction, understand users’ needs and
expectations, track the quality among areas and services, compare the levels of satisfaction
expressed by different groups of the population and potentially and reallocate public
spending accordingly.
The literature shows that citizen’s attitude is affected by some non-service-related
factors such as the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondent. The most significant
effects are those generated by the race, the age and the socioeconomic status (Brown and
Coulter, 1983; Stipak, 1977). Many studies in American cities with different municipal
services show a lower satisfaction rate among African American and Hispanics compared
to Anglo – American (Aberbach and Walker, 1970; Schuman and Gruenberg, 1972).
Less consistently, age has been providing findings in a sense that the younger the more
critical the respondents are with the municipal services. The socioeconomic status
defined by education and income has not provided any statistically significant effect
(Brown and Coulter, 1983). Few studies examined the relationship between objective
service conditions and the level of citizen’s satisfaction with municipal services with
mitigated results (Stipak, 1974; Carroll, 1978). In the GCC, studies are focusing on the
satisfaction with one specific public sector rather than the general satisfaction with public
services (Aday and Walker, 1996; Shafi and Weerakkody, 2009; Ali et al., 2015).
Nationality (citizens vs residents), socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics
are found to be significant determinants of satisfaction. McGivern (1999) and Ali et al.
(2015) find a significant difference between citizens and residents with the quality of the
healthcare system in Qatar, with residents being significantly more satisfied.
On the other hand, experience with public services has a relative influence on
how citizens evaluate their own quality of life in a sense that a high level of public
services quality drives a high quality of life rating. Rose and Newton (2010) show
how a person perceives her quality of life, is shaped, among other things, by the public
services available and the standard in which they are delivered. If public services
are provided to a high standard, the quality of life is improved and positively perceived by
the citizens.
 IJSE Satisfaction with public services in Qatar
According to Common (2008), in the Gulf countries, modernizing public administration is
hindered by a range of factors. Overall, the administrative context of the Gulf region appears
to have produced an environment of rigidity and resistance to administrative reform.
What public services government delivers and who delivers them, vary from a country
to another. However, most of the Middle East and North Africa countries consider the
delivery of social services to be the state’s responsibility and the right of all citizens to
universal access to be in their country’s constitution (Brixi et al., 2015). In the region’s oil-rich
countries, oil revenues further increased citizens’ expectations that the state would play a
big role in the provision of services and welfare. Indeed, the GCC rentier states do not tax
their citizens’ income but rather distribute the consequent revenue streams generated by oil
and gas and provide public goods to their citizens. The state remains the primary employer
for nationals, and public spending maintains a pivotal role inside the economy as an engine
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of growth, including of private sector activity (El-Katiri, 2016). Oil revenue also provides or
subsidizes the vast majority of public services and utilities. While the state benefits
financially from oil sales, the population benefits through access to salaries through
government jobs, welfare benefits and subsidies.
Although the arrival of liberalization and marketization in the region during the 1980s
partly undermined the state’s provision of these services, the expansion in education and
health has continued and so have expectations of a determinant role for government in these
sectors and in providing for citizens’ welfare.
The political uprisings in many parts of the Arab world, the Arab Spring, added to GCC
governments’ focus on maintaining and even expanding generous welfare and employment
spending to the benefit of their citizens (El-Katiri, 2016). However, on the one hand, the
decline in global oil prices since summer 2014 has affected the GCC economies by reducing
government revenue. And, on the other hand, the increased the population of some GCC
countries over the past years, due to the rapid economic and social expansion, is also likely
to exacerbate demand for efficient public services, particularly in relation to health services
and education and the diverse demography poses specific challenges to inclusive delivery of
public services (Common, 2008).
Even if administrative reform has been slow (Common, 2008), the expectation is that
administrative change is also on the agenda and GCC countries are also exposed to NPM.
In the state of Qatar, the modernization of the public sector is a key goal of the
country. It is guided by the National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) which emphasizes the need
for strong public sector institutions to reach the goals for social progress, human
development, a sound and diversified economy and a sustainable environment.
The National Vision also highlights that achieving these goals will require institutional
and organizational capacity building, efficient and transparent delivery of public services,
fruitful public-private cooperation and partnerships, a vibrant climate for business and a
larger space for civil society.
Qatar, likewise other Gulf Cooperation Countries has consistently increased the budget
spending on key service sectors including Education (Qatar Foundation) and National
Employment, Healthcare (Sidra Medical and Research Center), Infrastructure (railway
project) and E-government (e-government applications like Metrash). But the governments
still face challenges is soliciting feedback from citizens (Deloitte, 2010).
So far, there has not been any study that has looked at the general population – Qataris
and expatriates – satisfaction with the overall public services. There are some
specific studies mainly with the healthcare system (Abd al Kareem et al., 1996;
McGivern, 1999; Mohammed et al., 2004; Weber et al., 2011; Fahmi Khudair and Asif Raza,
2013; Ali et al., 2015) and Shaaban and Khalil (2013) analysis on the satisfaction
with the bus service.
 Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to analytically assess citizens’ and Citizens and
expatriates’ satisfaction with public services in the state of Qatar in 2017. We focus on expatriates
Education K-12, healthcare services, government services and infrastructure/roads, as this satisfaction
small number of public services has a large impact on households and individuals
throughout their lives. Completing at least a primary education has become common
(in 2013/2014, primary enrollment accounted for 47.6 percent of total enrollment of all levels
of education – kindergarten through high school – and 34 percent of primary schools
enrolled students are Qatari (QSA, 2013/2014)), healthcare is relevant throughout the
lifecycle, the roads quality is important for those who use them regularly and many official
documents can only be provided by public administrations.

Research methodology
Survey respondents
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The sampling frame was developed by Qatar University’s Social and Economic Survey
Research Institute (SESRI) with the assistance from the Qatar Electricity and Water
Company (Kahramaa). In this survey, the target population includes people who are
18 years or older and live in residential housing units in Qatar during the survey reference
period. The target population excludes those who live in institutions such as army barracks,
hospitals, dormitories and prisons. In this frame, all housing units in Qatar are listed with
information about the housing address and information to identify if residents in the
housing units belong to Qataris, expatriates or laborers. Like other countries in the Arab
Gulf region, there are two distinct groups of population in Qatar: the Qatari nationals
and the non-Qatari laborers. The latter group is also composed of two distinct groups: the
expatriates and the laborers. The former group usually lives in household units while
the latter group usually lives in labor camps. In this survey, the target population includes
all groups: Qataris, expatriates and laborers.
The state of Qatar is divided into seven administrative municipalities. Each municipality
contains a number of zones and each zone is divided into several blocks. In the frame, there
are 72 zones and 320 blocks. To assure representation of population in zones, proportionate
stratified sampling is used whereby each zone is considered one stratum. Proportionate
allocation means that the sample in each stratum is selected with the same probabilities of
selection. However, we know from previous surveys that the response rates vary across
zones. Therefore, over-sampling is used to make up for the lower response rates in certain
zones. Inside zones, housing units are ordered by geographic location in order to permit well
distributed sampling of housing units in different areas. A systematic sample is separately
constructed for Qataris and expatriates. The basic idea of systematic sampling is to select
housing units by taking every kth unit in the frame, where k is called the sampling step
which is the whole number part of the ratio between the frame size and the sample size.
The systematic sampling implies proportionate stratification as a block containing a given
percentage of Qatari or expatriate housing units in the frame would be represented by the
same percentage of the total number of sampled units.
The final weights in the data are constructed from three components: the base weights
reflecting the sample selection probability; the adjustment factors to account for the
non-response; and the calibration to make the survey results in line with the population
numbers. Besides, weight trimming is also used since highly variable weights can introduce
undesirable variability in statistical estimates.
The questionnaire is designed to collect all necessary information related to the study.
The questions were initially designed in English and then translated into different
languages by professional translators. After the translation, the translated versions
were carefully checked by researchers who are fluent in both English and other languages.
Next, the questionnaire was tested internally within SESRI. This allows the project team to
 IJSE learn whether respondents were able to understand and answer the questions, and to
identify important concerns that affect responses to the questions. After making necessary
changes to the questionnaire based on this internal pre-test, the survey was programmed
into Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) system using the software BLAISE.
After debugging the program, a face-to-face pre-test on a small number of housing units was
conducted. This pre-test gives valuable information to refine question wording, response
categories, introductions, transitions, interviewer instructions and interview length.
Based on this information, the final version of the questionnaire was created and then
programmed into CAPI for the fieldwork.
The survey was administered in CAPI mode. CAPI is a computer assisted data collection
method for replacing paper-and-pen methods of survey data collection and usually conducted
at the home or business of the respondent using a portable personal computer such as a
notebook/laptop. Each interviewer received an orientation to the CAPI system, participated in
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a training program covering fundamentals of CAPI interviewing and standard protocols for
administrating survey instruments and practice time on the laptop computers. During the
period of data collection, the management used a monitoring system to ensure that questions
were asked appropriately and the answers were recorded accurately.
After the data collection, all individual interviews were merged and saved in a single
BLAISE data file. This data set was then cleaned, coded and saved in STATA formats for
analysis. After weighting the final responses to adjust for probability of selection and
non-response, the data were analyzed using STATA, the statistical software for the social
sciences, where univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Dependent variables
To analyze the satisfaction with the quality of the public services, we relied on the responses
to the following question: “Please think now about the public services available in your
neighborhood. I am going to ask you about four different services. For each one, please tell
how satisfied you are with the service. Please answer on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means
not at all satisfied and 10 means totally satisfied with the service overall. You can also say
that you have no experience with a service.” We have asked about the independent school
(K-12 government school), the local health clinic, the local governmental offices (e.g. traffic or
municipality) and infrastructure and roads. For the analysis, we constructed an index of
satisfaction (0–1) that was subsequently used in a regression analysis.
As a secondary point, we were interested in the impact of the satisfaction with public
services on the quality of life in Qatar. To examine this, we relied on responses to the question:
“Using a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 represents the worst possible place in which to live and 10
represents the best possible place, where on that scale would you rate Qatar as a place to live?”

Independent variables
Similar to other published analyses of surveys (Abd al Kareem et al., 1996; Aday and
Walker, 1996; Ali et al., 2015), we included age and education as independent variables. In
addition and, in order to capture Qatar’s changing demographic, we have also included the
following correlates: nationality, income, occupation and gender. We have also included
the municipality as the citizen survey can show the different levels of satisfaction in
different geographic areas or among different types of the population (Stipak, 1979).

Results
Respondent characteristics
Satisfaction with public services. General level of satisfaction by nationality. In 2017,
Qataris and expatriates hold the positive perceptions of local government offices. The mean
 level of satisfaction with these services for the overall population is 8.2. Lowest levels of Citizens and
satisfaction are reported for infrastructure (6.4) and roads and independent schools (6.7). expatriates
For these two public services, Qataris are significantly less satisfied than expatriates satisfaction
( p o0.05). In general, expatriates hold more positive perceptions of public services than the
Qataris. This result is consistent with McGivern (1999) and Ali et al. (2015) who found an
important difference between citizens and non-citizens regarding the quality of the
healthcare system in Qatar, with non-citizens being significantly more satisfied (Figure 1).
The data here allow us to determine the users-related drivers of satisfaction to
understand the low rating of the public services by the citizens. We try to identify the
drivers of satisfaction using a regression model. The results show a statistically significant
effect for citizenship, education and age. In the first model, citizenship is a statistically
significant determinant of the satisfaction with public services. The pattern is that Qataris
are significantly satisfied with public services than the expatriates ( p o0.001). In the second
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model, age ( p o0.05) and education ( p o0.05) are found to be predictor of the satisfaction
with public services. The younger and the more educated respondents are, the less they are
satisfied with the services. In any of our two models income and gender are found to be
predictors of the satisfaction (Table I).

Heterogeneous levels of satisfaction by municipality

Citizen’s satisfaction surveys show citizens’ satisfaction with the service quality and show
the different levels of satisfaction in different geographic areas (Stipak, 1979) or among
different types of population. In the above section, we analyze the satisfaction with the
different services and among different types of population. In this section, we analyze
the satisfaction in different geographic areas. It helps tracking the quality among the areas
and comparing the levels of satisfaction expressed by the population in the different
municipalities and reallocating the public spending accordingly.
The state of Qatar is divided into seven administrative municipalities. For the analysis
due to the small number of respondents, we had to drop Al Shemal municipality and we
grouped together Al Khor and Al Dayyen into “other” category. As a result, we have the
following five municipalities: Doha, Rayyan, Wakra, Umm Slal and Other.
The data show that whereas the pattern of the satisfaction by public service is generally
consistent, the variation by municipality is more heterogeneous. Figure 2 details
respondents’ responses by municipality.
The data show that there is no municipality where citizens and/or expatriates are
overall more or less satisfied with all public services compared to other municipalities.
The dispersion is rather heterogeneous with relative satisfaction levels varying between
each municipality. The common pattern is that the government offices receive the highest

6.5
Infrastructure and roads 6
6.4

8.1
Government offices 8.2
8.2 Residents
Qataris
7.6 Overall population
Health clinic 6.8
7.4 Figure 1.
Mean levels of
6.9
Independent school 6.3 satisfaction by public
6.7 service and by
nationality
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
 IJSE Respondents
Demographic variables (%)

Nationality
Qataris 637 (47)
Expatriates 719 (53)
Gender
Male 791 (58.3)
Female 565 (41.7)
Income status
Less than 40,000 Qataris Rials 187 (29.4)
40,000 QR or more 317 (49.8)
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Employment status
Employed 833 (61.4)
Job seeker 106 (7.8)
Not in labor force able to work 197 (14.5)
Not in labor force permanently unable to work 166 (12.2)
Education
Never attend any school 42 (3.1)
Primary (1–6) 100 (7.4)
Preparatory (7–9) 93 (6.9)
Secondary (10–12) and diploma (after secondary but not university) 388 (29)
Vocational (after preparatory but not secondary) 40 (3)
University graduate 521 (38.9)
Master’s degree 138 (10.3)
PhD 16 (1.2)
Municipality
Doha 486 (35.9)
Table I. Rayyan 554 (40.9)
Descriptive statistics Wakra 144 (10.6)
of respondents Umm Slal 112 (8.3)
to the satisfaction Other (due to very small number of observations Al Shemal was dropped and Al Khor and
survey – 2017 Dayyen grouped together under other) 58 (4.3)

9 8.4 8.5
7.9 8 8.1
8 7.6 7.5 7.7
7.3 7.3
7
7 6.7 6.7 6.7
6.5 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.4
6
6
Independent school
5 Health clinic
Government offices
4
Infrastructure and roads
3
2
Figure 2.
Mean levels of 1
satisfaction by
municipality 0
Doha Rayyan Wakra Umm Slal Other
 satisfaction ratings across all the municipalities and the health clinics receive the second- Citizens and
highest ratings. Al Rayyan is where the government services are the most satisfying (8.4) expatriates
and Doha the least satisfying (7.9). Doha is where the health clinics are the most satisfying satisfaction
(7.6) and Al Rayyan the least satisfying (7). Al Wakra is where the independent schools are
the most satisfying (7.3) and Al Rayyan the least satisfying (6.5). Umm Slal is where
infrastructure and roads are the least satisfying, while they are slightly more satisfying in
Al Rayyan (6.4), Al Wakra (6.5) and Doha (6.5).

Satisfaction with the quality of life

It is argued that life satisfaction is related to the evaluations of individual life concerns.
The greater the life satisfaction with such life domains, the greater is the satisfaction with
life in general. Indeed, the surrounding environment and public services have a strong
influence on how people evaluate their own quality of life. The idea is that effective and
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quality public services will have a positive impact on overall the quality of life of the citizens
(Rose and Newton, 2010). Indeed, the satisfaction with community resources such as public
schools, medical care, government services, etc. is assumed to be predictive of the general
satisfaction of the quality of life (Sirgy et al., 2000).
In this survey, we asked respondents few question related to their quality of life in Qatar.
We asked them to rate the state of Qatar as a place to live in, on a 1–10 scale where 1 is very
bad and 10 best place. The findings show that, for expatriates, there is a strong relationship
between satisfaction with public services and quality of life. Conversely, the effect is weaker
for citizens, for when as there seems to be no relationship between their satisfaction with
public services and their quality of life. This may be due to a patriotic feeling on the part of
citizens and a more critical view by expatriates, who might be more concerned with
interesting professional and financial opportunities than with the quality of life (Figure 3).

Concluding remarks
The study has examined the satisfaction with public services in Qatar, one of the world’s
highest per capita incomes countries. It shows that high income does not necessarily mean
life satisfaction. It rather reveals the complex relation between life satisfaction and GDP on
one hand and the challenge of delivering government services in such a complex
demographic situation on the other hand.

Predictive Margins with 95% CIs

10

9
Linear Prediction

5
Figure 3.
0 2 4 6 8 10 Levels of satisfaction
Satisindex with public services
and quality of life
Qatari household White-collar household
 IJSE The proportion of citizens who are satisfied with public services is generally lower than the
proportion of expatriates and this is consistent with previous research findings on
satisfaction with public services in Qatar and the GCC region. It shows lower satisfaction
with public services but a higher life satisfaction for the citizens compared to the residents.
The data show discrepancies between the municipalities and provide information on how to
potentially reallocate the public budget in order to reach homogenous quality of public
services among all the municipalities.
In this context, a deeper analysis of the most/least satisfying public services is required to
understand the associated factors to (dis)satisfaction. Then, further analysis on citizens and
expatriates needs and expectations vis-à-vis the public services will help – policymakers – design
satisfying public services.
Now, given this diversity and mobility of the population, the ultimate objective – for
policymakers – should be to consistently encourage and support national and local public
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administrations and services to deliver services that compete with the best offerings from
around the world seek to increase the users – citizens and expatriates – satisfaction with
the public services. Citizen’s satisfaction surveys should thus be generalized to collect the
user’s views on the output received. They are one of the most effective tools local
governments have for understanding citizens and expatriates’ satisfaction levels, needs,
concerns and priorities. Measuring citizen and expatriates’ satisfaction also allows policy
makers to better understand their customer base, and helps to identify sub-groups of
users and needs or gaps in accessibility. They can also be used to help make strategic
decisions around long-term planning, priority setting and budgeting as well as monitor
the impact of reforms on end-users for improved organizational performance and overall
government performance.

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Appendix. Results from the linear regression

Satisindex
Model 1 Model 2

Household 0.586*** (0.000) –

Income – −0.225 (0.185)
Age 0.00235 (0.625) 0.0144* (0.023)
Education −0.0436 (0.387) −0.111* (0.034)
Gender 0.130 (0.270) 0.130 (0.448)
Constant 6.100*** (0.000) 6.924*** (0.000)
Observations 1,318 484
Table AI. Pseudo R2
Linear regression Notes: p-values in parentheses. *p o0.05; ***p o0.001

Corresponding author
Nada Abdelkader Benmansour can be contacted at: nabdelkader@qu.edu.qa; ab.nada@gmail.com

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