What characteristics of performance information matter to citizens? Evidence from a survey experiment in South Korea

This study examines the effects of multiple types of performance information on citizens’ performance evaluations of the energy voucher programme in South Korea, using an online survey experiment. We also investigate the moderating effect of political ideology in analysing citizens’ performance information use. Our results reveal that the impact of performance information is more positive and stronger when presented in the form of the output than the outcome of the energy voucher programme. Contrary to the implicit assumption in the literature, reporting output information rather than outcome information tends to increase citizens’ positive evaluation of programme performance. We also find that citizens make reference-dependent decisions in their judgement of public services. Our study highlights the heterogeneous effects of each reference point on citizens’ perceived performance, depending on the type of performance information.