The Role of Trust in Mediating The Effect of Service Innovation on Satisfaction at The Medan City Population and Civil Registration Office

Abstract

The development of information and communication technology has driven significant transformation in the delivery of public services, including at the Medan City Population and Civil Registration Office. This study aims to analyze the effect of service innovation on public satisfaction with trust as an intervening variable. A quantitative approach was used with a survey method involving 98 respondents who were users of the Population and Civil Registration Office services, both in person and online. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares (PLS) through the SmartPLS 4.0 software. The results show that service innovation has a positive but insignificant effect on public satisfaction (t = 1.394; p = 0.164), a positive and significant effect on trust (t = 7.290; p = 0.000), and trust has a positive and significant effect on public satisfaction (t = 3.965; p = 0.000). In addition, service innovation had a positive and significant effect on satisfaction through trust as an intervening variable (t = 3.220; p = 0.001). The construct reliability value was above 0.70, and all indicators met the convergent validity criteria with a factor loading value ≥ 0.60. These findings indicate that increasing public trust is a key factor in strengthening the influence of service innovation on public satisfaction. Thus, the strategy for developing digital-based public services at the Medan City Disdukcapil needs to focus not only on technological innovation but also on building public trust through transparency, data security, and consistency of service.