The Expectancy‐Disconfirmation Model and Citizen Satisfaction with Public Services: A Meta‐analysis and an Agenda for Best Practice

• Published date: 01 January 2022
• Author: Jiasheng Zhang,Wenna Chen,Nicolai Petrovsky,Richard M. Walker
• Date: 01 January 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13368

Research Article

147

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited,

the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Abstract: The expectancy-disconfirmation model has become the predominant approach in explaining citizen

satisfaction with public services. It posits that citizens compare the performance of a service against their expectations

of that service. Satisfaction occurs if the perceived performance meets or exceeds the expectations. We provide the

first meta-analysis of the empirical evidence on this relationship, and find that the model is supported across studies.

However, our meta-analysis also indicates that research design choices affect the results and that the scope of public

services examined is not comprehensive. We make best practice recommendations for future research to improve the

measurement of citizen satisfaction.

Evidence for Practice

• Across studies and settings, citizens’ satisfaction with public services is not only a function of how well they

perceive these services to work but also of their expectations of these services. It is therefore important to

understand what citizens expect from public services when assessing their satisfaction.

• The expectancy-disconfirmation model (EDM) is a robust tool that governments can implement when

assessing citizen satisfaction. We recommend the following best practices:

• EDM has produced valuable insights and should continue to be applied to examine citizen satisfaction.

• Citizens’ expectations should be captured in satisfaction surveys, with an emphasis on measuring

qualities public services should have (referred to as normative expectations).

• It is important to track citizen satisfaction over time (as resources allow) so that changes in perceptions

of performance, expectations, and satisfaction can be linked to managerial and environmental changes.

• Future studies should examine citizens’ experiences and satisfaction with individual services and should

include human services.

A

large literature in public administration

has been addressing determinants of

performance of public services. There is a

rich and still evolving understanding of external and

internal factors that distinguish better performing

services and organizations from those performing

less well, and of what can be done to improve

lagging performance. Many services directly affect

citizens. Therefore, it is vital to also understand how

citizens perceive and process the performance of

these services. The literature on citizen satisfaction

has shown that there is no one-to-one translation

of the performance of a public service into how

satisfied citizens are with it (Stipak 1979; Mok,

James, and Van Ryzin 2017). In many contexts,

decisionmakers about public services are ultimately

accountable to citizens, who will consider their

satisfaction when evaluating these decisionmakers.

Citizen satisfaction can also be linked to

engagement with, co-production of, and legitimacy

attributed to public services, which is relevant even

in contexts without elections. Citizen satisfaction

is therefore of great practical relevance. It is also

theoretically important, as the field of public

administration is building micro-foundations for

key theoretical frameworks. In the area of citizen-

state interactions, this includes the mechanisms

behind citizen satisfaction.

There is an extensive body of public administration

literature examining the external determinants

of citizen satisfaction (Brown and Coulter 1983;

Jilke 2018; Jilke and Baekgaard 2020; Kelly and

Swindell 2002; Vigoda 2000, 2002; Vigoda-

Gadot 2006; Vigoda-Gadot and Mizrahi 2006).

Research has also explored the challenges associated

with measuring citizen satisfaction (Andrews, Boyne,

and Walker 2006; Cowell et al. 2012; Parks 1984;

Stipak 1979) and made recommendations for the

collection of citizens’ perceptions of satisfaction

(Dalehite 2008; Swindell and Kelly 2000; Van Ryzin

and Immerwahr 2007). An important development

The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Model and Citizen

Satisfaction with Public Services: A Meta-analysis and an

Agenda for Best Practice

Jiasheng Zhang

Wenna Chen

Nicolai Petrovsky

Richard M. Walker

City University of Hong Kong

Richard M. Walker is the Chan Hon Pun

Professor in Behavioral and Policy Sciences,

Chair Professor of Public Management

in the Department of Public Policy, and

Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and

Social Sciences at the City University of

Hong Kong, where he is the Director of the

Laboratory for Public Management and

Policy and Co-Director of the Center for

Public Affairs and Law. Prof. Walker is a

Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Email: rmwalker@cityu.edu.hk

Nicolai Petrovsky is an Associate

Professor of public management in the

Department of Public Policy at the City

University of Hong Kong and Deputy

Director of the Laboratory for Public

Management and Policy. His research focus

is on public service performance (including

the role senior officials play in it), citizen–

state interactions, and transparent and

replicable research.

Email: npetrovs@cityu.edu.hk

Wenna Chen is a doctoral candidate in

the Department of Public Policy at the

City University of Hong Kong, where she

is currently a Research Assistant in the

Laboratory for Public Management and

Policy. Her research of interest includes

public sector innovation, leadership turnover

and mobility, policy diffusion, network

governance, and performance information.

Email: wennachen2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk

Jiasheng Zhang is a doctoral candidate in

the Askew School of Public Administration

and Policy, Florida State University.

He works in the Laboratory for Public

Management and Policy, the City University

of Hong Kong. His research interests include

applying quantitative methods, such as

experimental design and computational

social science methods, to examine issues

related to citizen–state interactions,

performance information, and collaborative

governance.

Email: jzhan39@cityu.edu.hk

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 82, Iss. 1, pp. 147–159. © 2021

TheAuthors. Public Administration Review

published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on

behalf of The American Society for Public

Administration.

DOI: 10.1111/puar.13368.