Socioeconomic Status and Public Sector Worker Stereotypes: Results from a Representative Survey

Abstract

What views do people have of public sector workers? Public sector workers are often portrayed negatively. It is unclear, however, to what extent such negative perceptions are shared among different groups in society. Using a large representative survey in the Netherlands, we study whether people's socioeconomic status is related to having more negative stereotypes about public sector workers. Contrary to expectations, education and income are unrelated to stereotypes. We do find a relation with subjective income: People with low subjective income have more negative stereotypes. Moreover, the sector people work in is highly relevant. People working in core governmental sectors such as central and local government have positive stereotypes. Other groups—such as private sector and non‐profit workers—have a far more negative image of public sector workers. These findings help us to understand people's perceptions of public sector workers and the problems various groups have with the state.

From Bureaucrats to Entrepreneurs to Networkers, Advocates, and Empaths: Reappraising Human Resources Management Ideals and Practices in Public Administration

“…It is unclear whether a similar alignment between political support and human resources management and public administration philosophies can happen for NPA and NPS as it did for OPA and NPM. Civil servants are still primarily seen as “bureaucrats” and do not enjoy wide public support or appreciation—not only in the US but in other countries as well (Bertram et al, 2022). Recent proposals for HRM reform at the federal level do have as a motto “mission first, principles always, and accountability for both” (National Academy of Public Administration, 2017).…”

“…But it does show the complexity of bureaucratic decision-making and behavior, which can easily be neglected in a "naïve" reading of NPA and PSM. Finally, the image of the public-good motivated civil servant does not align with common public stereotypes about "lazy bureaucrats" (Bertram et al, 2022;Marvel, 2016). Arguably, this is one reason why tools such as performance-based pay remain popular, even though the empirical evidence about their effectiveness is scant (Fox, 1996; J. E. Kellough & Lu, 1993).…”

Aggressions and associations: How workplace violence affects what public employees think of citizens

“…Across studies that have been conducted on stereotypes in the public sector, perhaps the largest overlap in the terminology is the notion of association (Bertram et al, 2022; Weißmüller & Vogel, 2021; Willems, 2020). Associations are cognitive relations between two items (e.g., objects, traits, and ideas), with the result that being confronted with one item activates a representation of the second (VandenBos, 2015).…”

“…Previous PA studies differ in the extent to which they attempt to solve this puzzle and identify patterns of interrelated associations. Most researchers have fed responses from association tasks into frequency analysis and compiled lists of recurring associations with public sector categories (Bertram et al, 2022; Weißmüller & Vogel, 2021; Willems, 2020). This step is often followed by coding the emotional loading of these associations, either by asking respondents for the (non‐)desirability of attributes (Bertram et al, 2022; Willems, 2020) or by applying computer‐aided sentiment analysis (Weißmüller & Vogel, 2021).…”

“…Most researchers have fed responses from association tasks into frequency analysis and compiled lists of recurring associations with public sector categories (Bertram et al, 2022; Weißmüller & Vogel, 2021; Willems, 2020). This step is often followed by coding the emotional loading of these associations, either by asking respondents for the (non‐)desirability of attributes (Bertram et al, 2022; Willems, 2020) or by applying computer‐aided sentiment analysis (Weißmüller & Vogel, 2021). Beyond the emotional valence of associations, however, scholarship has not yet explored their overarching structure, such as the patterns in which associations frequently co‐occur (Vogel & Werkmeister, 2021).…”