Analysis on the Satisfaction of Public Cultural Service by Township Residents: A Qualitative Perspective

The intense development of urban–rural integration has brought about a constant increase in people’s demand for public culture. In particular, as the equalization of public cultural services is promoted, narrowing the gap between the services offered in urban and rural settings has gradually become the dominant orientation to promote urban–rural integration and enhance the rights and interests of the people. Starting from the principles of the new public service, this research conducted field interviews in Xuling Town, Anhui Province, China. The Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) was used to analyze the interview content, and five inferences about the construction of township public culture were drawn: (1) cultural facilities have a significant impact on township public cultural construction; (2) the role of cultural talents is essential but lack of talent is normal in townships; (3) carrying out cultural activities is the top priority of township public cultural construction; (4) cultural management is an indispensable auxiliary link but the management level is insufficient; (5) and the cultural activities of traditional festivals are particularly important. Moreover, on the basis of these five inferences, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was used to analyze the survey data and verify the underlying problems around public cultural service effectiveness as well as resource allocation in township areas. Finally, countermeasures are proposed on how to narrow the gap, which are of reference significance for improving the quality of township public cultural services in the context of urban–rural integration and meeting the cultural needs of residents.