Drivers of Reputation and Legitimacy of a Highly Visible Public Sector Organization: Surveying Citizens’ Perceptions

Abstract Reputation and legitimacy are crucial resources for public sector organizations (PSOs) that have a high public visibility. These social judgments are formed by citizens’ direct experiences with such organizations and indirectly, via media coverage in which often covered organizations are evaluated. We empirically assessed 1) the drivers of reputation and 2) the linkages between reputation and legitimacy of a highly visible PSO using a comprehensive set of organization-related and personal factors. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among a representative citizen sample ( N = 1,267). The resulting structural regression model shows that reputation and legitimacy of the studied PSO are formed in parallel, with trust serving as a key predictor.