From Expectation and Participation to Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Perceived Government Responsiveness in Digital Government

This study examines the mechanisms shaping citizen satisfaction in the context of digital government, taking Guangdong Province’s highly centralized “Yue Sheng Shi” platform as a case study. Building on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) framework, a structural model was tested with survey data from 647 respondents and variance-based structural equation modeling. The results indicate that digital service expectations and citizen participation both enhance perceptions of service quality, with participation showing the stronger influence. Higher perceived service quality leads to greater citizen satisfaction, while government responsiveness strengthens this relationship. These research findings enrich the theoretical understanding of how satisfaction with e-government services is formed and extend the application of the ACSI framework to the Chinese digital governance context, while offering practical implications for governments on managing expectations, promoting citizen participation, and enhancing responsiveness in building citizen-centered digital platforms.