Feeling Belonging, Feeling Protected: The Emotional Foundations of Citizens’ Satisfaction with Government

Prof. Moshe Maor 

Dr. Michaela Assouline

What shapes citizens’ satisfaction with government performance? Traditional approaches grounded in expectancy–disconfirmation emphasize cognitive evaluations, yet growing evidence suggests that emotional appraisals also play a critical role. Drawing on political psychology and emotional governance research, this study argues that two core emotional mechanisms—belonging and perceived protection—anchor citizens’ evaluations of government performance. Relying on nationally representative survey data collected in Israel in February 2025, the analysis provides one of the first large-scale quantitative examinations of these emotional foundations. The findings show that emotional variables significantly improve explanatory models that typically rely on ideology, income, or education. A strong sense of belonging to one’s state and city emerges as a meaningful political emotion that heightens satisfaction by reinforcing perceptions of legitimacy, fairness, and shared purpose. Even more influential is perceived state-provided protection, which is the strongest predictor of satisfaction and suggests that reassurance, rather than the mere need for protection, drives supportive evaluations. Surprisingly, perceived local protection is negatively associated with satisfaction, indicating a potential displacement effect in highly centralized systems. These results highlight the affective architecture underlying citizen–state relations and call for greater integration of emotional mechanisms into theories of public evaluation and legitimacy.

For Registration: https://www.eventer.co.il/research06012026