了解公民對公共服務失敗的投訴：歸因理論的視角

Abstract

不滿的公民往往會指出官僚體系的問題並提出問責要求，藉此促進行政體制的改革。然而，公共服務失敗往往因涉及主觀認知，使得不同個體對同一事件的解釋和反應也會有所區別。有些人可能會將問題政治化或描述得誇大其詞，另一些人則可能輕描淡寫或漠不關心。本研究應用歸因理論，旨在探討公民面對公共服務失敗時，如何認定責任歸屬，並由此產生抱怨行為。 本研究於中國大陸進行，提供了一個獨特的非西方視角，分析歸因理論中的三個維度——位置、可控性與穩定性——在形塑公民抱怨行為機制中的作用。此研究採用2（位置：內部或外部）× 2（可控性：可控或不可控）× 2（穩定性：穩定或不穩定）之全因子實驗設計，並透過線上問卷調查收集了來自2,084位受訪者的數據。研究結果顯示，這三個歸因維度皆對公民的抱怨意圖產生顯著影響，包括直接抱怨、負面口碑傳播以及向第三方機構抱怨。特別是當服務失敗被歸因為外部、可控且穩定時，公民提出抱怨的傾向顯著提升。這或許源於公民認為服務單位要麼忽視其責任，要麼無力解決問題。 然而，在檢視各歸因維度之間的交互作用（包括雙向與三向交互）後，本研究發現，唯有「位置」與「穩定性」之間的交互作用下，結果才達到統計上的顯著性。此一發現對於「更複雜的歸因交互作用將產生更強影響力」的既有假設提出挑戰。本論文亦探討了滿意度的中介角色，以及個人特質與文化規範的調節作用。本研究發現，不滿意在「位置」與「可控性」對公民抱怨行為的關係中扮演顯著的中介角色，但在「穩定性」方面則未顯現中介效果。此外，侵略性與風險傾向等個人特質對公民抱怨意圖的影響甚微或無顯著性，反之，強調和諧與顧全面子等文化價值，對於壓抑公民表達不滿的行為具有關鍵影響。 為補充未獲支持的假設檢驗結果，本研究進一步進行了事後質性研究，訪談了九位參與前述問卷實驗的受訪者。這些訪談揭示了關於公民歸因過程的關鍵洞見，強調偏見、態度、障礙或挑戰等因素如何影響其是否採取抱怨行為。 整體而言，本論文深化了我們對於公民如何將公共服務失敗進行歸因，進而影響其抱怨行為的理解，為未來研究與公共服務實務提供了寶貴的啟示。藉由凸顯歸因信念作為影響公民反應的核心機制，本研究強調有效服務管理對維繫公民與政府關係的重要性。此類作為不僅可提升服務效能，也有助於建立正向的社區關係，進而奠定長期信任與公民參與的基礎。

Dissatisfied citizens often propel administrative reforms by expressing concerns about bureaucratic shortcomings and demanding accountability. However, the experience of public service failures is inherently subjective, leading to diverse interpretations and reactions. Some may politicize or exaggerate the issues, while others might downplay them or remain indifferent. This study, based on attribution theory, explores how the attribution of public service failures—linking these failures to specific causes—affects citizen complaint behavior. Conducted in mainland China, this study provides a unique non-Western perspective on the effect of three attribution dimensions—locus, controllability, and stability—on citizen complaint behavior. It commences with a 2 (locus: internal or external) × 2 (controllability: controllable or uncontrollable) × 2 (stability: stable or unstable) full factorial experimental design, with data gathered through an online survey of 2,084 participants. The findings indicate that all three attribution dimensions significantly impacted citizens’ intention to complain, including direct complaint, negative word-of-mouth, and complaint to a third party. Specially, when a service failure is characterized as external, controllable, and stable, the likelihood of citizen complaints increases. This is probably because citizens tend to perceive the provider as either neglecting their responsibilities or being incapable of resolving the issue. However, upon examining the various interactions of attribution dimensions, both two-way and three-way, the study found that only the interaction between “locus” and “stability” reached statistical significance. These findings challenge the assumption that more complex interactions between attribution dimensions would have a stronger effect. Meanwhile, this thesis also examined the mediating role of satisfaction and the moderating effects of personal traits and cultural norms. The findings reveal that dissatisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between locus or controllability, but not stability, and citizen complaints. Additionally, traits like aggressiveness and risk-taking exhibited little to no significant influence, whereas cultural norms—especially those valuing harmony and face-saving—played a substantial role in suppressing complaints. To contextualize the unsupported hypothesis testing results, I conducted a post-hoc qualitative study by interviewing nine participants who participated in the aforesaid survey experiment. These interviews uncovered key insights into the attribution processes of citizens, emphasizing how biases, attitudes, barriers, or challenges lead them to engage in, or lack thereof, complaint behaviors. Overall, this thesis enhances our understanding of how attributions of public service failures shape citizen complaints, providing valuable insights for future research and public service practitioners. By highlighting attributional beliefs as a key mechanism influencing citizen responses, it emphasizes the importance of effective service management in maintaining the citizen-state relationship. Such service management initiatives enable public organizations to improve service quality, foster positive community relations, and build a foundation for long-term trust and engagement.