Analysis of psychological factors influencing citizens' willingness to communicate with chatbots instead of officials in exercising rights in local government

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into local government services has generated a pressing need to understand the psychological determinants that shape citizen behaviour toward automated communication systems. This paper examines the key psychological factors that either facilitate or impede citizens' willingness to interact with chatbots rather than human officials when exercising administrative rights at the local government level. Drawing upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and the evolving literature on trust in algorithmic systems, the study explores how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, privacy concerns, anthropomorphism, and the absence of empathy in AI systems collectively determine citizen adoption rates. A quantitative research design based on a structured online survey administered to 340 citizens in the Nišava District of Serbia was employed. The findings reveal that institutional trust, data privacy concerns, and the perceived empathy deficit of chatbot systems are the strongest inhibitors of adoption, while perceived efficiency gains and prior digital experience are the most robust predictors of willingness to engage. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at designing psychologically informed AI interfaces for local government services.