Serving society vs. the individual user? Experimental evidence on the role of public service motivation in predicting job-task preferences

ABSTRACT Although the term public service motivation (PSM) was coined 30 years ago, its theoretical development is still ongoing. One of these debates examines how to differentiate it from likeminded concepts. Recent theoretical development related to PSM focus on the salience of giving back to society, or non-identified beneficiaries, in contrast to individual users. To assess this distinction, empirical research is essential. Using a between-subjects vignette experiment among a representative sample of 1512 citizens in Catalonia (Spain), we test whether PSM can predict task preferences depending on the extent to which they are oriented to non-identified and identified beneficiaries. This article demonstrates that PSM is mainly oriented to society at large rather than individual users. The findings present evidence to confirm emerging PSM conceptualisations as well as highlight important implications for research and practice – especially with respect to public service job design.