It's both, actually. At the base level it is about protection, but at a higher level, if you've ever been in a society with a welfare state, things are so much nicer. People are calmer, more relaxed and even more polite (they might be colder or more distant due to cultural characteristics, though).

For me, personally, a random town in Germany is more pleasant from the social aspect than San Francisco with all its riches and its hobos.