Perceiving Digital Citizen Participation: A Comparative Socio-Technical Systems Analysis of Government Officials in South Korea and Indonesia

Studies of digital participation often draw citizen-level conclusions from surveys completed by public officials. This study addresses that theory–measurement mismatch by treating officials’ perceptions of citizen participation as the substantive outcome of interest and by explaining how digital leadership (DL) and digital technology use (TU) shape those perceptions across contrasting governance systems. Using survey responses from 377 officials in South Korea and Indonesia, the study develops a comparative socio-technical institutional cueing framework. It employs a sequential hybrid design that combines regression analysis, supplementary quantum probability (QP) modeling of order effects, and contextual digital-trace evidence from national participation platforms. The regression results suggest that DL is more strongly associated with perceived citizen participation in South Korea, whereas TU is more strongly associated with the same perception in Indonesia. Supplementary QP simulations indicate that cue sequencing matters: leadership-first framing produces more stable modeled judgments in Korea, while technology-first framing yields sharper but less durable modeled assessments in Indonesia. The trace series is not treated as direct citizen-level validation; instead, they provide contextual support for interpreting how different socio-technical architectures may shape administrative judgments. The paper contributes by aligning theory with measurement, specifying how institutional context conditions the salience of DL and TU, and demonstrating a bounded, multi-method design for studying context-sensitive administrative perceptions.