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Restoring the Truth: Anchoring Effects and Debiasing Interventions on Citizen Satisfaction

Jinfeng Zhang,Zengqiang Qin,Jun Cen,Bingsheng Liu

Published 2023 in Public Performance & Management Review

ABSTRACT

Abstract Although expectations have emerged as a prominent research theme in public administration, little is known about whether and how expectations affect citizen satisfaction. We investigated the anchoring effects of expectations in shaping citizen satisfaction, utilizing a survey experiment involving 735 Chinese citizens. Specifically, we examined (1) the influence of citizens’ normative expectations of what services should be on their satisfaction levels; (2) the anchoring effects that result from numerical anchors on expectations and satisfaction; and (3) the effectiveness of debiasing education in mitigating anchoring effects. The findings reveal a negative correlation between citizens’ normative expectations and their satisfaction levels, highlighting the influence of anchoring effects on citizens’ expectations and satisfaction. Debiasing education is effective in mitigating anchoring effects on expectations but not on satisfaction. These findings integrated cognitive bias into the expectancy disconfirmation model to a better understanding of citizen satisfaction. BRIEF ABSTRACT In this article, the authors focus on investigating the anchoring effects of expectations in shaping levels of citizen satisfaction. To achieve this, the study (1) examined the influence of citizens’ normative expectations of what services should be on their satisfaction levels, utilizing a survey experiment involving 735 Chinese citizens; (2) tested the anchoring effects that result from numerical anchors on satisfaction; and (3) employed debiasing education to mitigate anchoring effects on satisfaction. The findings reveal a negative correlation between citizens’ normative expectations and their satisfaction levels, highlighting the influence of anchoring effects on citizen satisfaction. Debias education is effective in mitigating bias on expectations but does not equally address issues related to satisfaction levels. These findings contribute to the cross-national generalizability of the expectancy disconfirmation model and citizen satisfaction literature.

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