Publication . Goncalves, J.; Kostakos, V.; Karapanos, E.; Barreto, M.; Camacho, T.; Tomasic, A.; Zimmerman, J.
Although advances in technology now enable people to communicate ‘anytime, anyplace’, it is not
clear how citizens can be motivated to actually do so. This paper evaluates the impact of three
principles of psychological empowerment, namely perceived self-efficacy, sense of community and
causal importance, on public transport passengers’ motivation to report issues and complaints
while on the move. A week-long study with 65 participants revealed that self-efficacy and
causal importance increased participation in short bursts and increased perceptions of service
quality over longer periods. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for citizen
participation projects and reflect on design opportunities for mobile technologies that motivate citizen
participation.
