Enhancing residents'happiness should focus not only on raising absolute income levels but alsoon the important role of government provision of basic public services.Building on a theoretical explanation ofhow basic public service provision improves residents’happiness through mechanisms such as enhancing theperception of horizontal fairness and expected social status identification,this study employs 2018 ChinaGeneral Social Survey(CGSS)micro-data to measure the impact of basic public service provision onresidents'happiness using an Ordered Probit model,and constructs a multiple mediation model to empiricallyexamine the underlying mechanisms.The results indicate that basic public service provision exerts asignificantly positive ffect on residents’happiness.This finding remains robust after addressing potentialendogeneity through an instrumental variable approach,and the magnitude of the effect increases progressivelyfrom eastern to central and western regions.Regarding the mechanisms,basic public service provisioninfluences residents'happiness not only through independent mediating effects via residents’perception ofhorizontal faimess and their expected social status identification,but also through a chain mediation effectcharacterized by"basic public service provision→perception of horizontal faimess→expected social statusidentification →residents'happiness.”Accordingly,the government should further improve the basic publicservice provision system and leverage its moderating role for disadvantaged groups and regions to steadilyenhance residents’happiness.