Research Article

Examining and Expanding the Expectancy Disconfirmation Model: Evidence from Rural China

Table 1

Question wording and descriptive statistics for the model variables.

Variables in order asked during interviewNMinMaxMeanSD

ExpectationsFirst—thinking back a few years—how would you rate your expectations back then of the quality of the flowing services? 1 = very low quality, to 7 = very high quality
PolicePolice protection313275.921.32
SchoolPublic education313275.941.30
Health careCommunity clinics313375.971.26
Hardship assistancePoverty assistance313275.961.30
Labor and employmentCareer guidance313276.021.32
Agricultural supportAgricultural assistance313175.811.45
Legal servicesLegal consultation313275.921.38
Family planning servicesBirth control guidance and consultation313175.951.32
Recreation and sportsRecreational and sports facilities313275.681.54
QualityConsidering all of your recent experiences, how would you rate the quality of the following services where you live? 1 = very low quality, to 7 = very high quality
PolicePolice protection313175.691.42
SchoolPublic education313175.291.47
Health careCommunity clinics313175.231.61
Hardship assistancePoverty assistance313175.451.42
Labor and employmentCareer guidance313174.891.78
Agricultural supportAgricultural assistance313175.341.73
Legal servicesLegal consultation313175.271.71
Family planning servicesBirth control guidance and consultation313175.4731.65
Recreation and sportsRecreational and sports facilities313175.351.75
SatisfactionSatisfaction means many things. Overall, how satisfied are you with the services provided by the local government where you live? 1 = very dissatisfied, to 7 = very satisfied313173.811.91
Perceived disconfirmationConsidering all of your expectations, to what extent have the services provided by your local government fallen short of your expectations or exceeded your expectations? 1 = fallen short of my expectations, to 7 = exceeded my expectations313173.991.35
TrustHow much of the time do you think you can trust the government in where you live?1 = only some of the time, to 7 = always313174.961.76
Awareness
Before the survey, to what extent were you aware that all of the above services existed in this community? 1 = not at all aware, to 7 = very aware313175.141.63
To what extent do you know about the public services you need? 1 = not at all, to 7 = very much313175.141.69
To what extent do you know how to contact the service? 1 = not at all, to 7 = very much313175.121.60
Responsiveness
Do government officers give prompt service to citizens? 1 = not timely at all, to 7 = very timely313174.881.64
Are government officers always willing to help citizens? 1 = not at all, to 7 = very willing313175.111.59
Are government officers never too busy to respond to citizens’ requests? 1 = completely disagree, to 7 = strongly agree313175.041.63