This article extends the application of the public service motivation (PSM) construct from differences between volunteers and employees in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to the phenomenon of political activities that occurs during the public policy process. Based upon regression analysis performed on a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in introductory political science courses at a large public university, PSM appears to affect overall levels of political participation. Additionally, the rational, normative, and affective dimensions of PSM appear to affect specific types of political activity in different manners. This article argues that the PSM construct provides a way to measure individual-level receptiveness to civic motivators, an important purposive incentive that spurs political participation.
