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Abstract
This paper investigates how misperceptions about non-monetary and monetary aspects of government jobs affect individuals' propensity to choose a civil service career in China. Based on a survey sample of more than 2,000 college students in China, we document the prevalence of misperceptions about promotion opportunities, compensation, and housing benefits in government jobs among Chinese college students. When misperceptions are corrected using a survey experiment, we find that individuals who overestimate (underestimate) promotion prospects, compensation, and housing benefits significantly decrease (increase) their interest in government jobs. Moreover, we find that individuals who are more prosocial would increase (decrease) their interest in government jobs more than others, when their underestimation (overestimation) of promotion prospects is corrected. These results indicate the significant impact of non-monetary aspects of government jobs on bureaucratic selection; they also point to an important—but previously understudied—role played by misperceptions in individual preference for a career in government.