Socioeconomic inequality in public satisfaction with the healthcare system in China: a quantile regression analysis

Background As China pursues better social equality and improvement in public services (healthcare), public satisfaction has been considered as a key performance indicator. There is a great need to better understand the disparities and inequalities in the public satisfaction with its healthcare system. Methods Based on Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2015 ( a set of nationally representative survey data, the most recent wave containing information about public satisfaction with the healthcare system), this study utilizes the quantile regression method to analyze how the public satisfaction at high or low quantile of the score distribution varies according to the socio-economic status and healthcare system performance indicators, especially in rural areas. Results This study found that, at the highest percentile, better Self-Reported-Health (SRH) is associated significantly with a lower satisfaction score (coefficient -4.10, P < 0.01). High socioeconomic status (especially "above average" group) has higher satisfaction scores at both mean (coefficient 3.74, P