Government responsiveness and citizen satisfaction: Evidence from environmental governance

Prior research has overlooked the dynamics between
government responsiveness and citizen satisfaction. This
article addresses this gap by examining (1) how styles of
government responses affect citizen satisfaction differently and (2) how external events moderate the effects
of government responsiveness on citizens. Drawing upon
79,360 environmental demands sent to local leaders
in China and 100,905 Chinese citizens' environmental
assessments collected from 2013 to 18, this study finds that
actional and explanatory responses positively influence
citizen satisfaction, while referral responses negatively
affect citizen satisfaction. Moreover, these relationships
are subject to the moderating effects of exogenous pressures. Top-down pressure from the central government's
environmental inspections and bottom-up pressure from
the environmental documentary Under the Dome represent two types of exogeneities during the study period.
The findings corroborate a dynamic government-citizen
relationship that is shaped by government responding
actions and sociopolitical changes.