Faced with digital bureaucrats: A scenario-based survey analysis of how clients perceive automation in street-level decision-making

Street-level bureaucracies are digitalized with significant implications for street-level decision-making. Whereas research has focused on how street-level bureaucrats are influenced by this development, less research has focused on how the clients, who experience actual policy outcomes, perceive the increasing digitalization. This study explores clients' perceptions of automation in street-level decision-making. To do so, we have presented clients with three hypothetical case scenarios of street-level work with automated decision-making. Our findings suggest that clients are reluctant to automation in complex decision-making at the street level. However, those who trust technology the most are more in favor of automation. Individual differences were found in terms of gender and age. This study contributes, first, to the understanding of how clients perceive automation in street-level decision-making, and second, to practice by offering recommendations. •Clients are reluctant to automation in complex decision-making at the street-level.•Need for discretion varies based on complexity in street-level situations.•Younger clients trust technology more than older clients.•Older clients are more negative to automation in street-level decision-making.