Socioeconomic status and public sector worker stereotypes: Results from a representative survey

Isa Bertram, Robin Bouwman, Lars Tummers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)237-255
Number of pages19
JournalPublic Administration Review
Volume82
Issue number2
Early online date6 Jan 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Public Administration Review published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Public Administration.

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