Preferences for symbolic representation: identity, context, and selection of mental health providers

Citizens often favor public servants who resemble them demographically, but studies also indicate that this preference for symbolic representation may be unevenly distributed, shaped by individuals’ own lived experiences. Against this backdrop, we ask: in what contexts do citizens express a preference for symbolic representation? Focusing on publicly-supported mental health services as an empirical case, we field a conjoint experiment depicting provider information in a format informed by real-world listings. We find that preferences for symbolic representation are most apparent for social groups that have experienced significant marginalization—women, non-binary respondents, and people of color. Meanwhile, factors describing the organizational context in which services are provided—wait times and modality of service provision—do not appear to consistently moderate the preference for symbolic representation. These results underscore the importance of macro factors, such as systemic racism and sexism, in shaping individual preferences for bureaucratic representation.