Public Servants’ Trust in Citizens: An Extension of Theory and an Empirical Examination with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

This study examined trust that public servants have in citizens. We build on the reciprocal nature of trust and applied Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) to test both the antecedents to public servants’ trust in citizens (e.g., job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, organizational politics, public sector motivation and generalized trust) and several of its potential outcomes
(exit, voice, loyalty, neglect and cynicism) among Israeli civic servants. A revised and improved model found that organizational
politics and generalized trust are the strongest predictors of public servants’ trust in citizens and that exit intention
is its major outcome. Implications and suggestions for future studies are presented.