What Motivates Individual Public Service Motivation and Cooperation at the Initial Stage of the COVID‐19 Outbreak: A Cross‐sectional Survey

AbstractObjectivesThis study assesses the status of public service motivation and explains it's the positive association with public cooperation during the initial stage of the COVID‐19 crisis. Moreover, potential causes of Chinese citizens' public service motivation have been explored.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey of 30 provinces in China was conducted using an online questionnaire. The study was conducted in February 2020 during the initial stage of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Socio‐demographic factors, public service motivation, public satisfaction, public confidence, and public cooperation were assessed using questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to identify clusters of interrelationships among public service motivation, public satisfaction, public confidence, and public cooperation among Chinese citizens.ResultsWe found that participants' public satisfaction with COVID‐19‐related public services had a positive association with public confidence (B = 0.456, p < 0.001) and public service motivation (B = 0.177,p < 0.001). Moreover, public confidence regarding anti‐COVID‐19 measures had a positive influence on public service motivation (B = 0.308, p < 0.001) while mediating the relationship between public satisfaction and public service motivation. Public service motivation were positively associated with public cooperation with anti‐COVID‐19 measures during the initial stage of the COVID‐19 pandemic.ConclusionA considerably high level of public service motivation among Chinese citizens appeared during the initial stage of the COVID‐19 pandemic, resulting in an increase in public cooperation. Moreover, the findings prove that a high degree of satisfaction with the government's initiatives regarding anti‐COVID‐19 measures encouraged greater personal public service motivation in respondents by increasing confidence in governmental responses and performance.