Effect of Citizen Incivility on Self-Sacrifice of Public Service Motivation and Turnover Intention of Street-Level Bureaucrats: Mediating Effect of Emotional Exhaustion

Abstract

Although citizen incivility toward street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) is prevalent globally, theoretical analysis and empirical evidence are restricted in understanding these problematic issues. To address these issues, this study adopted the psychological resource perspective and job resource and demand (JR-D) model and conducted an empirical analysis to examine the negative effects of citizen incivility on SLBs. The findings demonstrate that citizen incivility has a significant negative effect on the self-sacrifice of public service motivation (PSM). Moreover, it has a positive effect on officials’ turnover intention, with emotional exhaustion functioning as a mediating variable. These findings underscore citizen incivility as a detrimental organizational condition that erodes the PSM of SLBs, concurrently increasing their emotional exhaustion and propensity to withdraw from public service positions.