Self-rated health (SRH) is widely used as an indicator of health in population studies, and there has been an increased interest in cross-national variations. Numerous studies have found an association between SRH and health, including whether there are interactional effects at both the micro and the macro levels. This article compares the effect of social meetings on SRH across different welfare regimes in Europe. We discuss whether differences in welfare design may explain some of the variations in the impact of social meetings on SRH. We observe regime-specific patterns and identify cross-national variations. One main finding is that the effect of social meetings on SRH is stronger in all other welfare regimes compared to the social-democratic regime. Examining the pattern of association between SRH and social meetings across welfare regimes offers valuable insight into whether welfare systems may moderate potential health risks stemming from fewer social meetings.
