Citizen Perceptions Research Articles

The everyday experiences of too little, too much water: the construction and contestations of variegated urban citizenship

This paper adopts the Southern understandings of citizenship in examining the interplays between risk in its different forms and the construction, experiences, and claims of urban citizenship. To consider the spectrum of risks in these relationships, we adopted a metabolic lens from political ecology and feminist political ecology perspectives. Focusing on auto-constructed neighbourhoods in Tabriz that are facing both water shortage and excess, the paper examines: (i) how uneven urban riskscapes reflect or accentuate variegated citizenship; (ii), how uneven exposure to risks shape differentiated experiences and perceptions of citizenship and belonging to the city; and (iii), how intense and everyday risks are linked to differentiated practices of citizenship claim-making. Furthermore, we argue that the spatial and temporal dimensions of risks mediate the variegated construction, experiences, and claims of citizenship.

Before and after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor: citizen perceptions of a ‘Reasonable Officer’

ABSTRACT The extent to which the American ‘Black criminal’ stereotype and nonverbal cues of aggression influences community perceptions of citizen-officer interactions was examined. In three experiments, using a between-subjects, vignette-methodology depicting a domestic violence situation, participants (N = 838) read about a Black or White man displaying aggressive or nonaggressive nonverbal cues with a police officer. Participants rated aggression, subject and officer actions, and familiarity with cases involving Black Americans. Experiment 3 was conducted in July 2020 after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor amid protests against police brutality. Aggressive displays by the vignette subject increased expectations of interpersonal violence between the subject and officer. The White man was perceived as more likely to aggress than the Black man (Exp 2 & 3). Case familiarity did not moderate perceptions (Exp 1 & 2); however, familiarity with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (Exp 3) modified perceptions of the subject-officer interaction. Increased familiarity led to perceptions that the Black man was less of a threat than the White counterpart. Perceptions of a ‘reasonable officer’ are more complex and culturally driven than can be accounted for via stereotype activation. Implications for public perceptions of law enforcement and the justice system are considered.

Pursuing Alignment: A Comparison of Public Officials and Citizen Perception of Mine Development

Maintaining legitimacy is a crucial objective for public officials to ensure effectiveness. Without legitimacy, political costs rise as the trust in government decreases and policy implementation is delayed; thus, officials handling resource development are encouraged to improve the acceptability of their processes. Therefore, it is essential for the government to understand the values and expectations of the citizens affected by resource development. Such an understanding assists the government in accomplishing its goals. This paper examines two cases, Norrbotten, Sweden, and Saskatchewan, Canada, both of which have established mining operations and similar regulatory frameworks and, during the commodities boom, experienced increased foreign investment and applications for new mines. While most mining projects in Saskatchewan faced little public opposition, some Norrbotten mines met contestation and protest. This paper utilizes survey data that focus on the perspectives of the residents close to the proposed mining operations, as well as interview data from public officials responsible for mine permitting, to examine the relationship between stakeholder influence and trust in government on the acceptability of mining.

Study of Citizen Satisfaction in Rural Versus Urban Areas in Public Services: Perspective of a Multi-group Analysis

This study proposes a comparative analysis between urban and rural areas concerning the magnitude or intensity with which the constructs are related to expected quality-perceived quality-perceived value as influencing aspects in the level of satisfaction and citizen loyalty in three dimensions: Territorial planning and roads; provision of municipal services and environmental management. This research used the PLS software applying the ACSI model in the 5-hypothesis approach. A questionnaire was delivered to a sample population of 428 citizens in the rural area of Tenguel and 521 citizens in the urban area of Tarqui in the city of Guayaquil. The statistical result shows significant differences in citizen perception between urban and rural populations about the quality of public services, which determines satisfaction and loyalty in choosing the place of residence. Through a multi-group analysis, the main differences in the perception of the quality of services between rural citizens and urban citizens have been identified. These findings are essential for public policy design to improve the territory’s satisfaction, well-being, and people’s sense of belonging.

Exploring Factors that Influence Citizens’ Voluntary Quarantine Compliance about Future Pandemics

To cope with pressing challenges posed by a pandemic, governments cannot merely rely on coercive power; rather, governments must know why and why not citizens voluntarily comply with policy measures. Building on previous research, this study examines the drivers of citizens’ voluntary quarantine compliance from two perspectives: citizens’ perceptions of risks and citizens’ perceptions of government. We find that citizens’ perceived risks significantly drive their voluntary quarantine compliance about a future pandemic. However, as for citizens’ perceptions of government, only citizens’ trust in government authority and trust in government responsiveness are positively related to their voluntary quarantine compliance. Government transparency is not positively related to citizens’ voluntary quarantine compliance. Based on the results, we conclude that governments can facilitate citizens’ voluntary quarantine compliance by lowering citizens’ compliance costs, justifying their authority actions, highlighting their rapid efforts to fight pandemics, and preventing media exaggeration.

‘Listening State?’: exploring citizens’ perceptions of Open Government in Tokayev’s Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT The Open Government reform has been actively adopted across various non-democratic regimes, including post-Soviet Central Asia. The reform is supposed to bolster responsiveness and transparency through the active use of information communication technologies, and numerous authoritarian countries have recently adopted and deepened the Open Government reform. In this work, we study whether Open Government reform contributes to responsiveness in autocracies using the case of Kazakhstan under Tokayev’s rule (2019–present). We investigate the concept of the ‘Listening State’ recently adopted in Kazakhstan through the analysis of novel primary data. The perceptions of ordinary citizens reveal that the Open Government reform in the country has not led to the realization of its key goal of increased responsiveness. Therefore, we argue that the Open Government reform has serious limitations in achieving its ultimate goal of a better listening state to people’s needs in autocracies.

Institutional factors driving citizen perceptions of AI in government: Evidence from a survey experiment on policing

AbstractLaw enforcement agencies are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI)‐powered tools. While prior work emphasizes the technological features driving public opinion, we investigate how public trust and support for AI in government vary with the institutional context. We administer a pre‐registered survey experiment to 4200 respondents about AI use cases in policing to measure responsiveness to three key institutional factors: bureaucratic proximity (i.e., local sheriff versus national Federal Bureau of Investigation), algorithmic targets (i.e., public targets via predictive policing versus detecting officer misconduct through automated case review), and agency capacity (i.e., necessary resources and expertise). We find that the public clearly prefers local over national law enforcement use of AI, while reactions to different algorithmic targets are more limited and politicized. However, we find no responsiveness to agency capacity or lack thereof. The findings suggest the need for greater scholarly, practitioner, and public attention to organizational, not only technical, prerequisites for successful government implementation of AI.

Social protection, community participation and state‐citizen relations: Evidence from a cash transfer program in south‐central Somalia

AbstractWe investigate whether social protection programs can increase participation in community‐driven development programs and examine how this affects state‐citizen relations. Using a randomized controlled trial in south‐central Somalia, we study the impacts of one‐time unconditional cash transfers to vulnerable households that were specifically designed to encourage participation in community development. While the cash transfer is relatively small as a share of annual household expenditure, it is more than sufficient to cover households' anticipated community development contributions. The transfers were funded by an NGO but delivered through state institutions. We collect survey data before and after the intervention with almost 600 individuals eligible to receive cash transfers. We find no substantial differences in participation in community development projects for cash transfer recipient households relative to non‐recipient households. However, we do find positive impacts of the cash transfers on citizen perceptions of clan elders and the local government. Our findings suggest that relatively small social protection interventions may face challenges in increasing vulnerable households' participation in community development and decision‐making, while also highlighting potential positive spillover effects for state‐citizen relations and beliefs about the capacity of local institutions where states institutions are involved in program delivery, even if they do not finance the program.

Landscaping with Fruits: Citizens’ Perceptions toward Urban Horticulture and Design of Urban Gardens

Urban horticulture represents a sustainable way of dealing with the challenges of modern cities, including urbanization processes, population growth tendencies, a lack of green areas, environmental pollution and food insecurity. This study aimed to (1) investigate the perceptions of citizens of Novi Sad municipality, Republic of Serbia, toward urban horticulture and (2) assess plant materials appropriate for cultivation in urban gardens and suggest urban spaces completely designed with the use of various forms of edible fruit species, including roses. The same questionnaire was administered with a four-year time gap, in 2019 and again in 2023, before and after the coronavirus pandemic. To investigate plant materials suitable for urban gardening, relevant articles in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science platforms were searched. The questionnaires’ results showed significant differences between the two years concerning respondents’ attitudes toward urban horticulture’s impact on food safety, socialization and personal health and development, which could have been influenced by the pandemic. Vegetables were grown by most respondents, commonly in household yards and gardens. The main motivations for participating in community urban gardens were to grow food for their own consumption and to make charitable contributions, followed by the motivation ‘to socialize and relax’. Exemplary designs of an urban pocket, kindergarten yard and atrium courtyard are presented, providing insights into numerous possibilities for landscaping with fruits.

대학교양교과목을 위한 세계시민교육프로그램 개발 사례연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of college students' perception of global cit-izenship and change through case studies that combine global citizenship education programs as university liberal arts education with clothing life curriculum.
 Methods To this end, the global citizenship education program “Global citizenship in the closet” was developed by applying the ADDIE teaching and learning model through literature and prior research analysis. By setting class goals and topics for each week, and structuring the class environment mixed with non-face-to-face and face-to- face classes centered on teaching-learning course plans and class materials, researchers operated it as a liberal arts course at C University in Gwangju. It was intended to derive the possibility and effectiveness of global citizen-ship education fused with other subjects through discussions on the results obtained through post-class surveys and open question analysis.
 Results As a result, students actively participated as global citizens in the global citizenship education program fused with the clothing life curriculum developed in this study. In addition, it is effective to actively utilize an online class platform to communicate with students when conducting activity classes through pros and cons discussions and thoughts sharing, and students' confidence in organizing and speaking their opinions has been increased through several discussions and thoughts sharing classes. The application of the flip learning teaching method that provides video data before class during face-to-face practice classes was evaluated as a positive way to con-trol the speed of practice among students. Special lectures for students' perception and content expansion have the scope of clothing life education in their majors, but they were able to expand the depth of the course without losing the direction of the course by conducting three special lectures based on global issues. Finally, the results of the survey to change students' class satisfaction and global citizenship perception showed that most of the stu-dents who took this class clearly showed changes in the “technology” and “will to practice” areas compared to the “knowledge” and “attitude” areas.
 Conclusions Considering these points, it is expected that it will be possible to include the core of global citizenship education in other liberal arts curriculum as a university liberal arts curriculum, and it will be more effective if it is operated in combination with career, society, and design education.

Issue salience and feedback effects: the case of pension reforms

ABSTRACT What is the relationship between social policy reforms and issue salience in public opinion? Extensive research analyses policy feedbacks on policy preferences and the influence of policy preferences on policy change. Scant research, however, considers the link between reforms and issue salience – i.e., the perception of importance citizens attach to a topic. We address this gap in the literature through the comparative study of the salience of the ‘pension issue’. Drawing on a novel dataset covering 2010–2020 and 28 European countries, we argue that the passage of pension reforms shapes pension salience. Multilevel fixed effects models indicate that pension reforms that include either contracting or expansionary provisions are positively related to pension salience. In contrast, expansionary and contracting reforms, by themselves, are not robustly associated with pension salience.

Adapting the Digital Servuction Model to Central Banks: Case Study: European Central Bank

Central bank communication has changed over the years, following the trend of digitalization. It has been used as a tool for the implementation of monetary policies since the 1990s, when central banks started publishing their inflation reports, outlooks, and meeting minutes on the road towards greater transparency, and to help meet their price stability mandate. This mandate cannot be achieved through traditional financial instruments alone, so digital communication and marketing has become an economic policy tool. The effectiveness of the European Central Bank’s online communication tools will be tested via a GAP model, by applying an adapted version of the servuction scale to the Bank and disseminating it to 500 citizens, with the purpose of measuring citizen satisfaction with its website and communications. The servuction model focuses on high quality services that are perceived as such by private sector customers, having a strong marketing component. The originality of the research consists in adapting it to the public sector, more specifically to central banks, and by treating citizens as customers throughout the study. The model was successfully applied to the European Central Bank, demonstrating that citizens’ expectations are highest regarding both the reliability and assurance dimensions, meaning that they want to feel confident in ECB actions, and to the understandability dimension of its online content. The largest gaps between citizens’ expectations and perceptions were identified within the efficiency, understandability, and empathy dimensions. In future, the study can be replicated and adapted to both national central banks and private banks within the European Union, assessing how citizens perceive their websites, communication, and marketing strategies, with the purpose of improving the latter two, and increasing civic engagement. The model can also be adapted to narrower topics relating to sustainable digital development, such as the expectations and perceptions of citizens with regards to central bank digital currencies.

Muslim political dissent in coastal East Africa: complexities, ambiguities, entanglements

ABSTRACT This article stages a comparative analysis of Muslim politics in coastal Kenya and Tanzania between 2010 and 2023. We explore parallels, discontinuities, and entanglements between different expressions of – and responses to – Muslim political dissent. Our insights are drawn from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Dar es Salaam, Malindi, and Zanzibar City. We begin by investigating a sharp rise of militant jihadi activity across the region, examining responses by Kenyan, Tanzanian, and U.S. governments, as well as the perceptions of ordinary Muslim citizens. We then explore currents of Muslim civic activism, highlighting the different claims, sentiments, and memories that these movements invoke. Merging these discussions, we analyse episodes of civil unrest and violence that are associated with Muslim dissenters, but which are shrouded with uncertainty. We examine the shifting interpretive frames that Muslim residents apply to these events. We demonstrate how these uncertainties and framing practices, alongside state security strategies, impact the capacity for Muslims at large to engage in political dissent. Using our analysis, we argue that forms of Muslim political expression in coastal East Africa, though comparable and sometimes entangled, must be interpreted with close attention to the distinct experiences, demographic configurations, and political landscapes that characterise different (sub-)national contexts.

Measuring Citizen's Perceptions of AI Adoption for Instrumental and Value‐Added Tasks

ABSTRACTThis preliminary study reports citizens' perceptions of using artificial intelligence (AI) in instrumental and value‐added decision‐making. We analyzed 5,153 responses from the Pew Research Center's American Trends Panel Survey, collected in 2021. The findings suggest that concerns outweigh excitement when it comes to adopting AI systems for complex value‐added decisions while they welcome AI systems for instrumental tasks on behalf of humans.

국제개발협력 목표에 대한 국민인식과 영향요인 분석

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the perception of the Korean and American people on international development cooperation, which has different policy goals, means, and policy targets with domestic policies.
 Originality: In international relations, a new approach is needed according to the diversification of actors such as the state-market-civil society. It is necessary to pay attention to the perception or values of ordinary citizens, which have been relatively neglected in the existing international relations theories.
 Methodology: This study conducted a survey of 1,500 people in each country to find out the perception of Korean and American people on ODA. It asked which of the three aid goals, realism, idealism, and global communitarianism, was the most desirable goal. First, the difference in perception between the people of the two countries was analyzed through a chi-square test. Second, a multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to find out the factors influencing public perception of ODA goals.
 Result: First, it was found that conservatives are more likely to pursue realistic goals, and progressives are more likely to pursue global communitarianism. Second, people who are more interested in domestic policy are more likely to see that their country's economic and social interests should be pursued for ODA goals. Third, when the household's economic level did not deteriorate due to COVID-19, the probability of considering the socio-economic development of the recipient country as a more important goal increased. Fourth, it can be interpreted that individuallevel variables have a greater impact in emerging donor countries, while policies and politics variables have a more impact on traditional donor countries.
 Conclusion and Implication: It is necessary to engage people in international development cooperation as important actors to improve the quality of international development cooperation of South Korea, as a global pivotal country.

Exploring the role of nature-based typologies and stewardship schemes in enhancing urban green spaces: Citizen perceptions of landscape design scenarios and ecosystem services

This research investigates the UK citizens’ perceptions of the ecosystem services (ES) created using a range of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban green spaces (UGS). The longevity of the ES derived from UGS is dependent on the effective on-going maintenance of urban landscapes, therefore this paper also gathers data on direct UGS participation specifically through the lens of civic stewardship to assess the impact of such schemes upon ES. NBS typologies were created and used, in the mixed methods study, to gauge perceptions of and preferences for alternative urban landscape design. The UGS survey collected data from 345 respondents on ES and the NBS typologies. Twelve semi-structured interviews provide qualitative data on NBS typology preferences, perceptions, and understanding of ES as well as motivations behind civic engagement in UGS in the UK. Stewardship programmes were found to increase community resilience by providing additional ES. The results showed a preference for integrating complex, multifunctional UGS into the fabric of urban centres to ensure accessibility and to maximise engagement. More complex NBS typologies were perceived to provide additional ES when compared with traditional monoculture mown grass and shrub amenity planting. Mixed native planting and Tiny Forest NBS typologies were perceived as providing more provisioning, cultural, regulating, and supporting ES. Considering both UK citizens' perceptions of the ES gained from alternative NBS and stewardship schemes in UGS represents a holistic approach that can improve the design and management of NBS in cities. This study is the first to explore both concepts in the UK and suggests a holistic UGS approach to address urban challenges, including those related to Climate Change.

Восприятие политических партий и их лидеров на фоне актуального психологического состояния российского общества

The article is devoted to the images of the Russian parties and their leaders against the background of the changes in the psychological state of our society in the modern conditions. The study was based on qualitative and quantitative research conducted in late 2022 — early 2023 in 22 regions. The object of the study were five parties represented in the State Duma (United Russia, The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, The Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia — For Truth, New People) and their leaders (A.Turchak, G.Zyuganov, V.Zhirinovsky, L.Slutsky, S.Mironov, and A.Nechaev). The research methodology included a survey, an in-depth interview, a semantic differential, a projective test, and a directed associations method. The study was not representative of the country as a whole, but the sample was balanced in terms of gender, age and education. The study demonstrated that the high level of anxiety and concerns of citizens about military actions did not affect a number of perception parameters, such as the attitude towards parties as a necessary part of the democratic process, the lack of a clear ideological identification of parties, and the personification of party images. At the same time, some parameters have undergone a significant transformation. First, the perception of a position of parties within the framework of the dichotomy “power — opposition” has changed. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, A Just Russia — For Truth and The Liberal Democratic Party have lost a significant part of their image as opposition in the perception of citizens, while support for United Russia, which is clearly associated with the authorities, has increased. Second, the popularity of a flamboyant style has become a thing of the past, and today the image of the centrist party is the most attractive for voters. The new political reality requires that parties work to consolidate the society in the face of an external threat rather than demonstrate their independence and distance themselves from the authorities. Third, if before the beginning of the 2020s the demand for conservatism prevailed in the society, in the current situation social democratic and liberal values are more in demand.

Multi-hazard risk perception: An empirical study of the remote Gilgit city, Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalayan (HKH) region, Pakistan

The frequency and severity of disasters have witnessed a substantial increase in Pakistan. Gilgit city, located in the formidable Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalayan (HKH) region, like other mountainous valleys in the country, is under severe threat from the catastrophic consequences of disasters. The region has experienced frequent hazards such as floods, especially Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), landslides, and earthquakes in recent times. Therefore, it is imperative for the local communities to comprehend and evaluate the disaster risks to prepare for unforeseeable circumstances. The current study, therefore, quantifies risk perceptions of Gilgit citizens in a multi-hazard environment through perceived hazard, disruptions, and impacts dimensions. The primary data is collected via household surveys using a semi-structured questionnaire. The paired sampled test and index analysis have been applied to determine the perceived risks in a multi-hazard environment. Results of the study reveal that most respondents perceived the impacts of floods/GLOFs on daily life activities as the highest in a multi-hazard environment. The findings of this study will be helpful for urban planners, environmental scientists, and decision-makers to formulate policies that will ultimately increase community resilience to cope with the impacts of multi-hazards.

Perception of coastal citizens on the prospect of community-based rainwater harvesting system for sustainable water resource management

Predominant water scarcity and environmental degradation in Bangladesh's coastal communities arise due to extreme meteorological conditions, unrestrained water usage, and extensive saline intrusion into both surface and groundwater. This study leverages both quantitative data from a household survey and qualitative data from a Participatory Rural Appraisal to explore the perspectives of 150 official experts and 240 coastal public respondents regarding the implementation of a "Community-Based Rainwater Harvesting System" (CBRWHS) as a sustainable water supply technology in six major coastal districts of Bangladesh. Though CBRWHS surpasses the benefits of an individual harvesting system (IHS) due to its collective approach, high storage capacity, social cohesiveness, environmental benefits, and potential for scalability, findings suggest that the experts identify financial insolvency, lack of technical skills, and insufficient education as principal barriers against adopting CBRWHS. They propose that providing technical instructions, education, and establishing a CBRWHS pilot could serve as effective incentives. While expressing a sufficient understanding of IHS, respondents are willing to adopt CBRWHS only if financial support is provided. Given the residents' experience with IHS, they are cognizant of the financial and technical challenges intrinsic to such systems. CBRWHS, unlike IHS, operates as a shared system with collective property rights and regulations. Majority of respondents perceive CBRWHS as a potential significant mitigation tool against the water shortage situation since the challenges associated with harvesting, maintaining, and using rainwater could be addressed collectively by the user community. Similar to the official experts, public respondents identify a lack of technical expertise, financial constraints, and regulations as the most significant obstacles to IHS adoption. The findings of this study hold substantial implications not only for the local region but also for similar coastal regions worldwide, suggesting a crucial need for the prioritization of community-based solutions to water scarcity within the wider global discourse on sustainable water management.

Investigation of High School Students' Perceptions of Citizenship by Spatial Analysis Method

Betimsel tarama modelinde olan bu araştırma, ortaöğretim kurumlarında (lisede) öğrenim gören öğrencilerin vatandaşlık algılarını mekânsal analiz yöntemiyle incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmanın evreni 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim yılında Siirt il merkezi ile Siirt iline bağlı Baykan, Eruh, Kurtalan, Pervari, Şirvan, Tillo ilçelerinde ortaöğretim kurumlarında (lisede) öğrenim gören öğrencilerden oluşmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemi “tabakalı örnekleme” yöntemiyle belirlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin vatandaşlık algısı “Vatandaşlık Algısı Ölçeği (VAÖ)” ile ölçülmüştür. Araştırma verilerinin incelenmesinde aritmetik ortalama, frekans, standart sapma, t testi, Kruskal Wallis H testi ve mekânsal analizlerden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmada ortalamalar arasındaki farkın istatistiksel anlamlılığının yanı sıra etki büyüklük değerleri de hesaplanmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre öğrencilerin vatandaşlık algılarının genel olarak “yüksek” düzeyde olduğu, mekânsal analiz yöntemi açısından ise öğrencilerin vatandaşlık algılarının Pervari ilçesinde diğer ilçelere göre daha yüksek düzeyde bir dağılım gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca araştırmada cinsiyet değişkeninin öğrencilerin vatandaşlık algıları üzerinde anlamlı bir farklılık oluşturduğu, “ailelerin gelir durumunun” ise anlamlı bir farklılığa neden olmadığı saptanmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen sonuçlar doğrultusunda uygulayıcılara ve araştırmacılara çeşitli önerilerde bulunulmuştur.