Marketing

Publicity

Linguistics

Philosophy

Connotation

Psychoanalysis

Public service

Public service motivation

Social psychology

Public relations

Classics

Epithet

Computer science

Business

Public sector

Public office

Attractiveness

Psychology

Politics

Political science

Sociology

Public servant

Public administration

Programming language

Servant

History

Public Administration

As stereotypes strongly influence social interactions, this study explores the stereotypical associations regarding public servants, and about various professions in the public sector as well as the for‐profit and nonprofit sectors. This leads to a better understanding of the theoretical and practical challenges, such as citizen behaviour towards public servants, attractiveness of and political decisions about public service jobs. With a mixed‐method analysis of cognitive associations (7,470 associations by 415 respondents for 12 professions), the defining epithets of public servants are clarified, along with their positive or negative connotation. Despite the strongest associations for public servants being positive (caring, helpful and dedicated), as an overall category, it has a less positive connotation compared to some specific professions typical in the public sector (nurse, firefighter and police). However, cognitive associations are substantially more positive for public servants compared to politicians, lawyers and salesmen.

Public servant stereotypes: It is not (at) all about being lazy, greedy and corrupt