Abstract
Governments’ impression management behaviors are becoming increasingly common. Under this context, this study empirically analyzes the relationship between governments’ impression management behavior, citizens’ government trust and social cohesion by using questionnaire data based on social psychology theories. The conclusion shows that governments’ impression management behaviors positively affect citizens’ government trust and social cohesion. Government trust plays a mediating role between impression management behaviors and social cohesion, and citizens’ education levels positively moderate the relationship between governments’ impression management and citizens’ government trust, i.e., the higher the education level, the stronger the positive effect of governments’ impression management on citizens’ government trust. The findings of the study will provide significant references for the self-presentation of government information, citizens’ government trust and the improvement of social cohesion.
Highlights
In a highly interactive online world with rapid information flows, the public is rather likely to be emotionally aroused; once the government lacks the corresponding impression management motives with poor responsiveness, misunderstandings may emerge among citizens, which seriously erode the trust in local governments and the overall social cohesion
The study expands the perspective of social psychology research on government trust by exploring the influencing factors enhancing government trust based on the impression management theories
The study has introduced the moderating variable of educational level to clarify the boundary of the role of impression management in the field of government trust research
Summary
In a highly interactive online world with rapid information flows, the public is rather likely to be emotionally aroused; once the government lacks the corresponding impression management motives with poor responsiveness, misunderstandings may emerge among citizens, which seriously erode the trust in local governments and the overall social cohesion. How to deliver effective self-presentation to enhance citizens’ trust in governments and social cohesion, and maintaining social security, has become a question to be re-examined by researchers and practitioners in the new age. Since the 1950s, the phenomenon of impression management began to draw the attention of social psychologists. The lack of large sample data further makes empirical studies of impression management on citizens’ trust in government and social cohesion in the context of government behavior even more scarce, requiring further exploration
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