Does Public Service Motivation Mediate Public Safety Work’s Effect on Public Sector Employee Job Satisfaction?

The study draws from the motivation scholarship to argue that employees with higher Public Service Motivation (PSM) are prosocial and altruistic and that public safety workers likely have a higher PSM, increasing their commitment to public service and job satisfaction. The study tests the proposition using survey data from 927 public sector employees in Mississippi using OLS regressions and independent t-tests. Findings show that PSM and public safety work have additive effects on employee job satisfaction. However, public safety workers do not necessarily report higher PSM. The high-risk, trauma-filled nature of public safety work can be satisfying.