Paradox Of Trust Research Articles

Data Perception and Information Disorder in the Italian Context During the Pandemic

This paper aims to learn how Italian audiences received and perceived data-driven television news during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, the logic and practices of creating and consuming television journalism were disrupted by the pandemic emergency. The paper presents the results of research carried out as part of a wider project titled “The Social Effects of Fake News” which was conducted from 2018 to 2022 within the CoRiS department of Sapienza University of Rome. The research project was reshaped in 2020, to understand the effects of what has been called “information disorder” in the areas of health, medicine, and science at a time when, together with the pandemic, an “infodemic” also emerged.1 We use Wardle and Derakhshan’s notion of “information disorder” as presented in their Council of Europe report.2 The results of the survey research we conducted show a surprising paradox. We found an interesting pattern of receiving and using information content based on data, in which users trust those who produce and validate certain data and at the same time do not believe that same data. This pattern of use indicates a particular approach to dealing with news among the Italian public. We have labelled it “know-it-all.” This article aims to deepen the understanding of this paradox of trust in experts but not in the data they deliver and how journalistic practice should deal with this conundrum.

Do we pay based on our past travel experience? A moderated mediation model of tourists’ willingness to pay

PurposeThis study aims to test the first and second-stage moderating effects of tourists’ past travel experiences on the relationships between national responses, destination trust and tourists’ willingness to pay in the post-pandemic recovery era.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model was tested with a sample of 398 tourists in Vietnam. The path analysis was applied to investigate the mediating and moderating effects.FindingsThe findings emphasise the mediating effect of destination trust in the relationships between national responses and tourists’ willingness to pay. With the moderating effect of past travel experience, all the first-stage indirect effects are significant, but the second-stage indirect effects are significant only at a high level of past travel experience.Originality/valueThis study provides theoretical implications for solving the puzzle about the paradox of trust in the government’s responses in the post-pandemic era. Practical implications for destination marketing organisations in the post-pandemic recovery era are then discussed.

The Paradox of Trust and Governance in Corrupt Cartels: A Case Study of the Construction Industry

The Paradox of Trust and Governance in Corrupt Cartels: A Case Study of the Construction Industry

Does prior trust work as a buffer? Examining the impact of perceived betrayal on customer responses to a double deviation

PurposeThis study aims to explain customer reactions to a double deviation by examining the moderating role of prior trust in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation platforms on the relationship between perceived betrayal and negative outcomes such as negative word-of-mouth (NWOM), vindictive complaining and patronage reduction.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was used to obtain a sample of 246 respondents familiar with P2P accommodation platforms. The model was tested using SmartPLS.FindingsThe results showed a positive correlation between perceived betrayal and NWOM, vindictive complaining and patronage reduction. Unexpectedly, prior trust had positive moderating effects. High levels of prior trust caused more negative customer reactions than low levels of prior trust.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study caution firms about the potential risks to rely on the forgiveness and tolerance of highly trusted customers who may retaliate fiercely to double deviations.Originality/valueThis research unveils the prior trust paradox. Customers' prior trust magnified the negative impact of double-deviation experiences. This study contributes to the service-recovery literature by questioning the buffer effect of prior trust in the context of a double deviation.

A Trust Paradox May Limit the Application of Al-Generated Knowledge

Overview: The extent of knowledge available to society may no longer be limited by human cognition or by refining algorithms. Instead, the interaction of the two may limit knowledge transfer and creation. We examine two behavioral paradoxes: Polanyi’s paradox, which has existed since 1966, and the Trust paradox, which we propose. We study four technology innovations—printing, digitalization, the Internet, and artificial intelligence (AI)—and assess how these paradoxes limit the use of knowledge created by each innovation. We found that while technology has largely overcome Polanyi’s paradox of limiting the transfer of tacit knowledge, the Trust paradox may limit the application of AI-generated knowledge. We identify five relevant drivers of trust—reliability, transparency, association, reciprocity, and accountability—and outline how each impacts and creates challenges for the application of AI.

Exploring the artificial intelligence "Trust paradox": Evidence from a survey experiment in the United States.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are poised to transform society, national defense, and the economy by increasing efficiency, precision, and safety. Yet, widespread adoption within society depends on public trust and willingness to use AI-enabled technologies. In this study, we propose the possibility of an AI "trust paradox," in which individuals' willingness to use AI-enabled technologies exceeds their level of trust in these capabilities. We conduct a two-part study to explore the trust paradox. First, we conduct a conjoint analysis, varying different attributes of AI-enabled technologies in different domains-including armed drones, general surgery, police surveillance, self-driving cars, and social media content moderation-to evaluate whether and under what conditions a trust paradox may exist. Second, we use causal mediation analysis in the context of a second survey experiment to help explain why individuals use AI-enabled technologies that they do not trust. We find strong support for the trust paradox, particularly in the area of AI-enabled police surveillance, where the levels of support for its use are both higher than other domains but also significantly exceed trust. We unpack these findings to show that several underlying beliefs help account for public attitudes of support, including the fear of missing out, optimism that future versions of the technology will be more trustworthy, a belief that the benefits of AI-enabled technologies outweigh the risks, and calculation that AI-enabled technologies yield efficiency gains. Our findings have important implications for the integration of AI-enabled technologies in multiple settings.

The Paradoxes of Trust and Transparency of Blockchain Technologies

The Republic and Canton of Jura has decided to adopt and integrate the CERTUS digital seal and the KSI blockchain as the central technological components of their e-government portal and of their digital government transformation program. However, this project is taking place in turbulent times. While blockchain suffers from a bad reputation for ecological reasons and while the Swiss Confederation has rejected the selected blockchain solution, this article seeks to answer how to grasp the paradoxes of blockchain technologies acceptance by state citizens in an extreme management situation. Through an action research that aims to solve practical problems and create scientific knowledge, this study highlights the paradox of trust and considers blockchain technologies to enhance trust between citizens in politically stable countries. Furthermore, it investigates the paradox of transparency of blockchain technologies in an extreme management situation and proposes communicating in two levels of abstraction to limit tensions in turbulent times.

Breaking the trust paradox: A community-inclusive conservation strategy consistent with the advantages of government protected areas: The case of Mount Huangshan, China

Government protected areas are the most dominant governance type in the global network of protected areas, but in recent years, a lack of research compared to indigenous and private nongovernment protected areas has become evident. Consequently, community-inclusive conservation strategies consistent with the advantages of government protected areas are unclarified. Focusing on 49 households living at the Mount Huangshan World Natural Heritage Site in eastern China, this paper uses qualitative research triangulation to explain the causality between community exclusion and local distrust of the protected area and builds an explanation concerning the political and economic context. The questionnaire data analysed from the configuration perspective were corroborated with interviews and archival data, presenting innovative and enlightening findings. Lack of participation alone does not elicit local protests against biohabitat conservation, and government performance determines the trustworthiness of the government protected area. When local households are unaware of the government's efforts, a "trust paradox" in which the households that receive economic gains distrust government PAs emerges. This is caused by the social expectations of the "responsible government" and the survivorship bias of the households who manage to succeed in profiting. Induced or mandatory community participation is needed to strengthen the indigenous perception of the link between local development and government performance. This paper proposes a new strategy for socioecological goals that is consistent with the advantages of government protected areas, the most globally dominant governance type for protected areas and the type employed by the largest number of countries.

Misinformation and the Paradox of Trust during the covid-19 pandemic in the U.S.: pathways to Risk perception and compliance behaviors

As declared “infodemic” by the World Health Organization, the proliferation of Covid-19 misinformation has posed a significant challenge to public health efforts to tackle the pandemic. Despite initial evidence on the association between misinformation and behavior, researchers have yet to fully identify intervening variables to account for the behavioral effects of Covid-19 misinformation. To address this question, this study aims to examine whether and how consuming misinformation would predict public trust in health and political institutions, and in turn, shape risk perception and adherence to preventive behaviors. We conducted a web-based survey using a nationally representative sample of 1,400 U.S. adults in October 2020. We found that Covid-19 misinformation exposure was linked to lower trust in public health experts but higher trust in government, which led to a decrease in the perceived severity of Covid-19 and less compliance with public health guidance. Our findings uncover the complex social and psychological processes by which misinformation consumption undermines public health efforts during the pandemic crisis.

Characteristics of victim blaming related to COVID-19 in South Korea

This study aimed to determine the characteristics of the victim-blaming tendency of patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and the worry of being blamed because of COVID-19 infection. This study utilized two methodologies based on the theory of defensive attribution and information processing. First, a media analysis was conducted to determine the characteristics of the two representative COVID-19 victim blaming cases (the Itaewon Club case and the Omicron-infected pastor case). The results show that from the viewpoint of defensive attribution theory, the victim blaming of patients infected with COVID-19 is related to social identity and moral violations committed by the patients. The Korean public emphasized their social identity and believed that the patients were different from them from an ego-defensive viewpoint. Second, we conducted three longitudinal online panel surveys (N1 = 1569; N2 = 1037; N3 = 833). The samples were selected by stratified random sampling based on sex, age, and 17 metropolitan regions in Korea. The results showed that as the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the respondents' level of risk perception decreased significantly. As the information processing theory explains, people who are familiar with the frequent risks of COVID-19 are less worried about being blamed by others. Meanwhile, the regression analysis found that victim blaming of the pastor was significantly related to the respondent's religion. We can conclude that the Korean people may blame the victims of COVID-19 because they believe that the victims are very different from an ego-defensive viewpoint. Furthermore, the trust variable appeared to be important: the more the respondents trusted the government, the more they blamed the victims of COVID-19. We term this phenomenon the “trust paradox.”

Парадокс доверия к искусственному интеллекту и его обоснование

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of trust in digital intelligent sys­tems that are actively involved in the transformation of social practices, decision-making processes and become “new” mediators of our existence. As AI technologies run into trou­ble, the main challenge is to analyze the paradox of trust in AI, which includes both trust in online systems, servers and software, as well as failures demonstrated by artificial intelli­gence. The purpose of the article is to study the paradox of trust in the AI system, taking into account the comparison of “pro & contra” arguments. This involves, firstly, identifying the essence and specifics of the proxy culture as a culture of trust. Secondly, consideration of AI opacity and algorithmic responsibility becomes important. The theoretical basis is the mod­ern work of Russian and foreign researchers. The methodological strategy includes a com­parative analysis and comparison of the socio-humanitarian understanding of trust and the specifics of trust in AI. The conclusions are based on the following statements. The AI trust paradox is accompanied by an obscure compromise, the essence of which is to ignore all the risks due to the usability of fast intelligent systems. Algorithmic responsibility, aimed at re­ducing the unreliability and threats of using AI, conflicts with the obligation provided by the programmed code. The priorities of technological evolution are to develop standards for al­gorithmic transparency that ensure the disclosure of information related to the consequences of algorithmic decisions.

Institutional trust paradox: understanding the dynamics of trust among different ethnic groups in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT The article explores institutional trust dynamics in Sri Lanka and asks what accounts for varying levels of trust different ethnic groups have in governance institutions in the post-war context. Three decades of ethnic conflict, the emergence of ethno-religious polarisation since the end of civil war, militarised ethnocracy, and the majoritarian ethnocratic state all highlight the need to understand these dynamics. The article presents the results of twonationally representative surveys on institutional trust in Sri Lanka (2015 & 2020), which showed a puzzling trend: in 2015, minorities had higher trust in public institutions, whereas, in 2020, the same minorities had lower trust. The study finds that citizens’ evaluation of public institutions is affected by ethnic cleavages, institutional fairness, and perceived performance. On the one hand, Sinhala–Buddhist ideology and dominance of ethnic majority in public institutions are more likely to determine institutional trust among the ethnic majority Sinhalese; on the other, perceived injustice and unfair treatment shapes institutional trust among the ethnic minorities. Overall, the study finds that an increase in institutional performance may not be sufficient; institutionalising equal treatment, fairness, and enhancing governance quality are necessary to enhance institutional trust among all ethnic groups in ethnically polarized societies.

The paradoxical effects of institutional trust on risk perception and risk management in the Covid-19 pandemic: evidence from three societies

Adopting the theoretical lenses of social amplification of risk framework and trust paradox, this study examines how people’s attention to media information influences their risk perception and risk management behaviors (i.e. vaccination intention) in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in three Chinese societies (i.e. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China). A total of 9,575 valid samples were obtained via online survey panels. The results revealed that media attention significantly influenced risk perception and risk management across the three societies. Institutional trust, however, could amplify or attenuate risk perception and risk management in different societies: While institutional trust was found to have a positive impact on people’s risk perception in Taiwan and Mainland China, a negative impact was discovered in Hong Kong. Moreover, different dimensions of institutional trust, which we term ability-based trust and benevolence-based trust, were found to mediate the effect of media attention on risk perception and risk management in different societies: While both dimensions were significant mediators for Taiwan, benevolence-based trust and ability-based trust was the only mediator for Mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively. The paradoxical impact of institutional trust on risk perception and risk management is explained with contextual factors specific to each of the three societies, supplemented with post-hoc analysis on how publics assign risk management responsibility to risk management institutions in different societies. Overall, the results provide empirical support to the social amplification of risk framework (SARF) by highlighting the roles of media and institutions as social stations that shape risk perception.

Policy capacity during COVID-19 in Asia: A systematic literature review.

COVID‐19 has revealed the policy capacity of some governance institutions, both resilience and vulnerability. Hence, this circumstance has demanded public administration scholars and practitioners to rethink the existing governance practices, particularly in making effective crisis‐related policies. This paper reviewed primary and secondary studies exploring the application of policy capacity competencies in facilitating COVID‐19 handling in Asia. In achieving so, we did a systematic literature review of relevant studies published between January and October 2020. Applying the agreed search term to several databases, we found 2541 studies, while merely 30 were included for review. Findings from the studies are predominantly closely linked to operational capacity (n = 21). Other studies are related to political and analytical capacity (n = 14 and 7, retrospectively). We found that there are some dilemmas and inadequacy of understanding concerning the role of features in certain capacities (such as technology use versus individual privacy, the paradox of trust and legitimacy, or centralisation versus decentralisation), particularly in the time of crisis, which is a calling for future research.

Demand for mitigating the risk of COVID-19 infection in public transport: The role of social trust and fatalistic beliefs

The rapid surge of COVID-19 cases worldwide drew attention to COVID-19 infection as a new source of risk in transport. The virus introduced a need for viral transmission mitigation as a major priority when selecting a mode of travel, and caused a significant drop in public transport use. The recovery of public transport use in the post-COVID period requires that the transport authorities favourably address people’s demand for mitigation of the risk of COVID-19 transmission in public transport. The present study aims to explore the role of risk perception, worry and priority of COVID-19 risk reduction along with fatalistic beliefs and public trust in authorities in explaining public demand for risk mitigation. The present study is among the first to investigate the role of fatalistic beliefs, social trust and risk perception for public transport and public demand for risk mitigation. The link between priority of infection prevention and demand for risk mitigation has also been less explored in public transport research. An online survey was conducted among university students in Iran between 19th April and 16th June 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, when the country was a major epicentre of the disease. A total of 271 out of 370 respondents whose dominant mode on university travels was public transport were included in the analysis. Results of structural equation modelling confirmed the paradox of trust, indicating that social trust is negatively associated with perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, which in turn may lead people to place less importance on COVID-19 prevention as a priority in travel mode choice, and consequently demand less risk mitigation efforts to prevent COVID-19 infection in public transport. Dissimilar to trust, however, the results revealed no relationship between fatalistic beliefs and risk perception, but a significant direct effect of fatalistic beliefs on demand for risk mitigation. To reinforce public demand for mitigating the risk of COVID-19 in public transport, the study calls on policymakers to exploit public trust resources for more effective risk communication, through disseminating the gradually accumulating evidence-based information regarding the infectivity and the virulence of COVID-19 and the scientific risk of infection. The study also underlined the potential importance of considering fatalistic beliefs when developing effective risk communication policies and practices to enhance public support for COVID-19 risk mitigation in public transport.

Longitudinal cross-national perspectives on female desistance: The role of social and emotional capitals in female narrations of maintaining change

This paper offers a unique longitudinal qualitative perspective on a group of women maintaining desisting pathways in two different European countries: Sweden and England. Applying a social and emotional capital framework, with particular attention given to the friend and family connection, the paper aims to unveil how a resource perspective can enable a more nuanced view of the role of overlapping female identities and network management, the paradoxes of trust within these, and experiences of stigmatisation and emotional expenditure in female desistance narratives across time and space. The cross-national perspective brings to light the importance of situating the desistance process in the particular context in which it plays out, making visible how narratives may be structurally mediated by wider social, cultural, penal – and gendered – conditions and processes. These insights may, in turn, contribute to the identification of desistance support that have the potential to make female desistance paths less socially and emotionally costly.

The trust paradox in food labelling: An exploration of consumers’ perceptions of certified vegetables

Trust is a key consideration when purchasing and consuming foods. Food certification is an aspect of food labelling, and is used by policymakers and marketers to increase consumers’ trust in food. Equally important, consumers’ trust in the food system and actors in its supply chain influences their overall perceptions of food safety, and which foods they choose and consume. However, the interaction between consumers’ trust in food chain actors, and consumers’ trust in food certification, has yet to be explored. This study addresses this gap by examining consumers’ perception of food certification, two examples of which are organic, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and consumers’ trust in food chain actors. In doing so, we extend the literature on trust in food labelling through the inclusion of social-institutional factors in order to understand variations in trust in food. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews and the study employed the social theory of trust as a theoretical framework to guide the analysis. Results show that organic, and GAP food certifications are perceived as a representation of the entire food system. Therefore, its trustworthiness is dependent on consumer perceptions of the food system’s capacity to guarantee organic standards along the entire food chain, which is a manifestation of abstract trust. This study contributes to the trust in food literature by showing that interpersonal trust in food actors, such as retailers or growers, can compensate for a lack of abstract trust in certification. Interpersonal trust is predominantly used to guide consumers’ food choices, particularly in the case where abstract trust in the wider institutional system’s integrity and competence is low.

The paradox of trust: perceived risk and public compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

Public trust in the authorities has been recognised in risk research as a crucial component of effective and efficient risk management. But in a pandemic, where the primary responsibility of risk management is not centralised within institutional actors but defused across society, trust can become a double-edged sword. Under these conditions, public trust based on a perception of government competence, care and openness may in fact lead people to underestimate risks and thus reduce their belief in the need to take individual action to control the risks. In this paper, we examine the interaction between trust in government, risk perceptions and public compliance in Singapore in the period between January and April 2020. Using social media tracking and online focus group discussions, we present a preliminary assessment of public responses to government risk communication and risk management measures. We highlight the unique deployment of risk communication in Singapore based on the narrative of ‘defensive pessimism’ to heighten rather than lower levels perceived risk. But the persistence of low public risk perceptions and concomitant low levels of compliance with government risk management measures bring to light the paradox of trust. This calls for further reflection on another dimension of trust which focuses on the role of the public; and further investigation into other social and cultural factors that may have stronger influence over individual belief in the need to take personal actions to control the risks.

A survey on gender-based violence – The paradox of trust between women and men in South Africa: A missiological scrutiny

South Africa continues to be plagued by gender-based violence (GBV). Recurring incidents of GBV cram news tabloids, social and electronic media, creating the impression of a country at war with itself. Of great concern is that, at the centre of these killings, men are allegedly the main culprits. This then has unleashed national protest campaigns, one notably, by the name #menaretrash, led by activists, mostly women, who angrily voice their disquiet against men. As a response, it was followed by another, namely, #notinmyname, led by those, mostly men, who say, there are many good and proud men who will not allow the image of manhood to be tarnished. At risk is ‘trust’ which is an important social asset, the demise of which plunges any society into a state of parody. This article then seeks to establish the damage GBV causes in terms of trust, especially of women to men. To do this, a survey was conducted to test levels of trust under different circumstances and in respect of different categories of people and public figures. The findings partly confirm existing surveys elsewhere whilst also making contradicting and worrying revelations. The article tries to reconcile these divergent positions socioculturally and theologically and conclude with proposals towards addressing the scourge of GBV.

The community of advantage

This paper gives an overview of my recently published book, The Community of Advantage: A Behavioural Economist’s Defence of the Market. I explain that my stance as author is that of a behavioural economist and an economic liberal. The book is an attempt to counter the widespread belief that the findings of behavioural economics justify regulatory interventions in the economy that would previously have been thought unacceptably paternalistic. I argue that competitive markets are desirable, not as an efficient means for satisfying the given preferences of assumedly rational individuals, but as an institutional structure that provides opportunities for whatever voluntary transactions people might want to make.