Quality of life, cultural consumptions and local public services in Rome

Abstract

Satisfaction about quality of life and 18 local public services in Rome is surveyed every year by a random sample of 2,000 citizens. From the principal component analysis two components result, i.e. 'material wellness' and 'cultural wellness'. Some excellent cultural municipal services ('Palaexpo', 'Auditorium', museums and libraries) are strongly associated among them but scarcely with quality of life. On the contrary, public transportation and hygiene services are very close to quality of life, so that their poor satisfaction strongly undermines overall wellness. That appears to be in contrast with economic theory and empirical surveys, according to which cultural consumption should be more and more important when income in- creases, especially in Rome where average income and education are higher than in Italy. In cities where 'material wellness' is not adequately satisfied, it is likely that the 'addictive goods' theory is not sufficient to explain the effects of cultural consumption on quality of life.