Keywords

1 Introduction

Greek society has not integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into consumer preferences. Although companies adopt CSR actions, consumers do not seem to be significantly influenced by them [1]. Social responsibility as a concept has been more associated with the private sector, while in the public sector research is relatively recent and limited [2]. In times where the challenges and expectations of citizens are increasing, public organizations recognize the need to integrate social responsibility into the way they operate. Social responsibility promotes the adaptation and upgrading of public administration, aiming at the provision of optimal services, the efficient management of resources and the achievement of social goals [3, 4]. Citizens’ trust is a prerequisite for the efficient operation of public administration and public organizations. Social responsibility contributes to the development of a relationship of trust between citizens and public bodies, since it creates the feeling that the decisions and actions of the public serve the common good and support society as a whole [1, 5, 6]. The present study examines the relationship between social responsibility in public administration and the level of citizens’ trust, while also examining the social responsibility actions that most preferred by individuals. Seeking to highlight the importance of this relationship, the study explores how the integration of social responsibility into the activities of public organizations can contribute to increasing citizens’ trust in the public system. A quantitative research was implemented with the distribution of online questionnaires to 104 citizens. The expected contributions of this research are twofold. Firstly, it aims to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between public organizations’ social responsibility initiatives and citizens’ trust in public administration. Secondly, by identifying specific social responsibility practices that have a positive impact on trust, this research offers practical recommendations for public organizations aiming to enhance their performance in terms of accountability, transparency, and responsiveness.

2 Examining the Relationship Between Social Responsibility of Public Organizations and Citizens’ Trust

Most academics use multiple definitions of CSR since there are several methods to its definition [7]. According to Hahn et al. [8] and Gond and Nyberg [9], CSR is a commitment made by organizations to influence their socio-ethical conduct and improve labor standards, which in turn has a significant impact on financial problems. CSR is also connected with the participation of organizations in voluntary actions with social and environmental significance, according to the European Commission's Green Paper. Managers in the public sector consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) as strategically important for their organizations [10]. Recently, the concept of responsibility in the public sector is inevitably linked to corporate social responsibility [11, 12]. Public organizations rely on positive public perception for their smooth operation and legitimacy [12]. Regarding CSR in public organizations, the conclusions from an important work carried out in 2012 are clearly highlighted. Organized by the Hellenic Organization for Standardization (ELOT in Greek), the Business and Innovation Center of Attika and the Decentralized Administration of Attica, this work coordinated efforts under the Governmental Social Responsibility (GSR) Model program (South East Europe). This work was based on the ISO 26000 standard entitled “Guide to the social responsibility of organizations” and took advantage of the international performance reporting practice of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). In this context, CSR in public organizations is based on guiding principles referred to in the ISO 26000 standard. These include accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, respect for the interests of stakeholders, compliance with legislation, compliance with international rules of conduct and respect for human rights. This responsibility is examined in various areas, such as corporate governance, human rights, working conditions, environmental protection, ethical practices, consumer protection and social participation. Stakeholders in the public sector are many and diverse. According to Naseem et al. [13], organizations which promote transparency and public disclosure of information on corporate social responsibility actions, have better results in their financial and strategic performance.

This supports our belief that transparency is strongly connected with corporate social responsibility. In the same way, Troise and Camilleri [14] highlight how socially responsible behaviors can be better communicated and implemented through the advancement of information technology and social media. Literature also examines the impact of socially responsible actions on people’s trust to organizations. Trust in is acknowledged by several scientific fields as an intriguing and significant characteristic. In terms of public organizations, trust of citizens to public administration is a crucial factor that prevents non-legal actions. The promotion of citizen participation in public discussions is one of the most discussed practices to improve public trust [15,16,17,18]. By enhancing transparency, encouraging citizen participation, and providing the people more influence over their government's policies and actions, socially responsible actions can increase public trust and lead to the creation of public value.

3 Materials and Methods

In the present study, quantitative research was chosen. It is a type of empirical research that uses numerical data and statistical methods to understand social phenomena [18, 19]. The research tool of questionnaires was chosen as this is one of the most popular methods due to its effectiveness in collecting standardized data from a large number of participants, while simultaneously reducing bias and maintaining anonymity [20, 21]. The questionnaire distributed online via Google Forms from October 2022 to May 2023 and consisted of 26 questions, including multiple-choice, closed and open-type questions and questions based on the Likert scale. The questions are structured in such a way as to make it easier for the participant to answer, keeping their interest throughout the completion [5]. Respondents were asked about the Greek public organizations they know and with whom they have worked with to process their cases. Public organizations were defined to the respondents by specifying certain characteristics which distinguish them from private ones and include the ownership and purpose (we gave examples of local, regional, national, or international public organizations).

4 Results

The sample consists of a convenient sample of 104 individuals. The 51.9% are women and the 48.1% are men. The research sample consists mainly of people who belong to the category of GenZ and Millennials, with percentages of 54.8% and 41.3% respectively. The authors’ focus on this specific research sample was based on the consideration that these generations are more aware of the term of Corporate Social Responsibility [22,23,24]. Additionally, their expectations for transparency, diversity, and sustainability align with the changing dynamics of governance, making their viewpoints integral for understanding the evolving relationship between social responsibility and trust in public institutions [24, 25]. The result of the crosstabs analysis (Τable 1) indicates that for both age groups (Gen Z and Millennials) the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions carried out by public services are generally of high importance. The two generations evaluate these actions from slightly important to extremely important, indicating a general orientation towards the positive perception of the social responsibility of public organizations. However, there is a small group of people, mainly among Gen Z, who see these actions as less important. The next crosstabs analysis (Tables 1 and 2) is carried out in order to find out whether the two age groups will seek information about the CSR practices of public organizations.

Table 1 Crosstabs analysis-importance of social responsibility
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Table 2 Crosstabs analysis-search for social responsibility actions
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It appears that both age groups are not likely to search for information about CSR initiatives of public organizations. In order to examine the most popular CSR actions of the two age groups, a crosstabulation analysis was performed. The results are presented in the following Table 3.

Table 3 Crosstabulation analysis
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According to the above data, it seems that for both age groups the most popular CSR actions are those related to the human factor, with an emphasis on the right to information, and the transparency of public sector actions (e.g. elimination of bribery, non-objective recruitment, the right to equal access to information, organization of blood donation drives, etc.), while the next in ranking are those that protect the natural environment (e.g. recycling initiatives, avoiding waste of paper and actions that promote the proposition of the environment in the local community). Also, it is observed that for Millennials charitable actions are not at all popular. It is observed that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups, as shown by the Chi-square tests (sig > 0.05). In order to determine if there are differences between the age groups, an ANOVA (Table 4) analysis follows, where the independent variable is the age group of the respondents and the dependent variable is how important social responsibility actions are in improving participants’ trust in public administration. The results are presented in the following Table 4:

Table 4 Anova
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Considering the data in the above tables, it is found that there are no statistically significant differences between the two age groups (Sig > 0.05).

5 Discussion and Conclusions

Despite the fact that citizens know the concept of CSR and its contribution to a more sustainable public sector, it is not so influenced by the actions of public organizations. Based on the results of the questionnaires, the actions that have the greatest impact on citizens are those that focus more on the human factor, confirming other studies [2, 13]. Regarding the effect of CSR actions on citizens’ trust towards public administration, the results of the questionnaires add new data to the existing literature, as they come into conflict with the findings of the literature [1, 5, 6]. Several participants answered that corporate social responsibility does not significantly affect their trust in the public administration and its actions. Also, a large percentage of respondents do not search for information on the internet about the CSR actions of public organizations. Economic crisis limits public organizations’ efforts [26]. The oxymoron is that although CSR does not have a significant effect on their trust in public administration, when participants were asked whether it is important for them that a public organization adopts CSR actions, most answered that it is. A future research could focus on studying the subject in more detail, with a mixed methodology. Moreover, a different research sample of people who work in socially responsible organizations, could offer important findings on their perceptions and the way they interact with the public.