An Analysis of the Psychological Mechanisms in the Formation of the Chinese Public's Perceptions of Government Prestige: Process Mechanisms and Boundary Conditions

China has now entered a deep stage of its reform and development. The role of Government-Public Trustworthiness Power (GTP) in promoting the deepening of the reforms, maintaining the stability of society, improving the effectiveness of governance, and promoting the construction of the rule of law have become increasingly prominent. Against this background, optimizing the national image and enhancing perceptions of government prestige have gradually become essential topics in academia. Although prior studies have taken note of the effects of public satisfaction on government prestige, there has been less research on the process mechanisms and the boundary conditions from the perspective of “dynamic psychological perceptions”.

Based on the theory of social exchange, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, and the theory of attribution, this study constructs a theoretical model in which a sense of social development gains serves as a mediating variable and political values act as a moderating variable to explore the cross-level impact of government satisfaction on government prestige. Based on an analysis of 11000 valid data samples collected from 84 prefectural-level cities in 31 provinces across China, we study how and when government satisfaction positively impacts perceptions of government prestige via a strengthening of a sense of social development gains.

The main conclusions of this paper are as follows. First, government satisfaction positively impacts perceptions of government prestige. According to social exchange theory, government satisfaction as a subjective positive evaluation, originates from the public's recognition of the value that the government composition, administrative actions, governance effectiveness, and so on, have in meeting their own needs. Through the effects of successful and rational exchanges, this can generate and maintain the public's positive perceptions of government prestige. Second, a sense of social development gains mediates the positive influence of government satisfaction on government prestige. According to the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and the theory of social exchange, government satisfaction is one kind of positive emotion that helps individuals form favorable perceptions of social development and strengthens their sense of gain. After a process of expansion, construction, and cancellation, the sense of social development gains will translate into government support and perceptions of government prestige. Third, political values greatly moderate the direct effects of the sense of social development gains on government prestige and the mediating effects of a sense of social development gains on the main effects. According to the theory of attribution and the theory of social exchange, the more prominent the “benefit the people and boost the country” characteristics in political values, the stronger the positive influence of the sense of social development gains on government prestige and the mediating effects of the sense of social development gains between government satisfaction and government prestige.

The theoretical significance of this study is reflected in three areas. First, this study adopts an innovative research perspective regarding government satisfaction that is centered around a mechanism of “dynamic individual perceptions” in the construction of government prestige Additionally, it reveals the mediating mechanism whereby government satisfaction promotes the formation and development of government prestige by enhancing the public's sense of social development gains. Last, this study also examines the boundary conditions for the transformation of a sense of social development gains into perceived government prestige.

In sum, this study reveals how government satisfaction promotes government prestige through increased positive perceptions, thus providing beneficial empirical support and enlightenment for enhancing a sense of social development gains and furthering the construction of state prestige.