CITIZENS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS LOCAL OFFICIALS - FREQUENCY, PREVENTIVE MEASURES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR

Abstract

A safe working environment is one of the fundamental rights of workers, regardless of the type of job or employer. All previous research on workplace aggression has primarily focused on intra-organizational forms, while aggressive behaviour from external stakeholders (such as users or citizens) has been studied far less frequently, particularly in relation to public officials. Research findings indicate that citizen aggression significantly affects employees’ overall wellbeing and health, their organizational commitment and performance. Public officials work in the public interest, follow the rules and cannot always meet citizens’ demands and needs. Under the influence of New Public Management, officials are expected to do more with fewer resources, leading to overwork, stress, and potentially declining service quality and trust in public administration. At the same time, citizens are becoming more demanding and better informed, while trust in public services is declining. Along with other classic predictors, these factors may contribute to increased citizen aggression toward public officials. In this paper, the focus of research is on officials in local government units in Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Srijem counties. The questions posed in the research are: how frequently do citizens exhibit aggressive behaviour toward officials in local government units, what are the consequences of such behaviour for officials and what preventive measures have been implemented to prevent aggression? To collect data, a survey questionnaire was created using Google Forms, containing seventeen questions, and was sent to respondents in October 2024. The collected data underwent qualitative and quantitative analysis using classical statistical methods. Relations were made between independent variables (such as gender, type and size of the local government unit, length of service, and job type) and dependent variables. The results align with comparative research. The respondents report a high frequency of citizen aggression toward officials in local government units, with verbal aggression being the most common form. This type of aggression causes officials to feel moderately to highly distressed, yet a significant number of incidents go unreported. Additionally, many reported incidents receive no response. The most commonly cited preventive measure is the presence of security cameras. Following the introduction, which highlights the importance of officials’ sense of security for organizational efficiency, the second part of the paper analyses the existing legal framework based on Council Directive 76/207/EEC, Directive 2002/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, and other documents of European social partners. Furthermore, the results of comparative research on the frequency and consequences of citizen aggression toward officials, their well-being and work performance in the member states of the European Union are presented. The third part of paper explains the research methodology, while the fourth presents and analyses the results. In the conclusion, the authors emphasize the need for further research on this phenomenon in order to reduce and prevent its harmful effects on officials and the local government units in which they work. The scientific contribution of this paper is reflected in initiating a comprehensive discussion— previously non-existent in Croatia—on the causes and consequences of citizen aggression toward local officials. The practical implications include raising awareness of this phenomenon, which should lead to a more frequent reporting of citizen aggression and more appropriate organizational responses to these challenges.