Active Trust Research Articles

‘Trust the messenger’: Public trust in sources of information on COVID-19

Abstract A key lesson of the coronavirus pandemic was the importance for pro-social behaviour of popular trust in key information sources. Yet existing studies rarely consider the role of people’s trust in a range of different information sources, and the relationship between such trust and particular attitudes and behaviours among individuals. This study goes beyond the general mantra that ‘trust matters’ and explores more specific effects, relating to trust in particular actors and for particular outcomes. Based on a survey fielded on a representative sample of the British population conducted towards the end of the pandemic, we find evidence that people’s coronavirus attitudes and behaviours are particularly related to their trust in scientific experts and, in some cases, to their trust in local councils. However, trust in these actors is not uniformly associated with people’s coronavirus beliefs and actions. This suggests that the link between people’s trust and their pro-social attitudes and behaviours is often specific rather than general. The results hold important implications for the design of effective public communication strategies in the event of any future health emergency.

Blame and obligation: The importance of libertarianism and political orientation in the public assessment of disinformation in the United States

AbstractDisinformation concerns have heightened the importance of regulating content and speech in digital communication environments. Perceived risks have led to widespread public support for stricter control measures, even at the expense of individual speech rights. To better understand these preferences in the US context, we investigate public attitudes regarding blame for and obligation to address digital disinformation by drawing on political ideology, libertarian values, trust in societal actors, and issue salience. A manual content analysis of open‐ended survey responses in combination with an issue salience experiment shows that political orientation and trust in actors primarily drive blame attribution, while libertarianism predominantly informs whose obligation it is to stop the spread. Additionally, enhancing the salience of specific aspects of the issue can influence people's assessments of blame and obligation. Our findings reveal a range of attributions, underlining the need for careful balance in regulatory interventions. Additionally, we expose a gap in previous literature by demonstrating libertarianism's unique role vis‐à‐vis political orientation in the context of regulating content and speech in digital communication environments.

Social acceptance of genetic engineering technology.

Genetic engineering of animals has been proposed to address societal problems, but public acceptance of the use of this technology is unclear. Previous work has shown that the source of information proposing the technology (e.g. companies, universities), the term used to describe the technology (e.g. genome editing, genetic modification), and the genetic engineering application (e.g. different food products) affects technology acceptance. We conducted three mixed-method surveys and used a causal trust-acceptability model to understand social acceptance of genetic engineering (GE) by investigating 1) the source of information proposing the technology, 2) the term used to describe the technology, and 3) the GE application for farm animals proposed. Further, participants expressed their understanding of technology using a range of terms interchangeably, all describing technology used to change an organism's DNA. We used structural equation modelling and confirmed model fit for each survey. In each survey, perceptions of benefit had the greatest effect on acceptance. Following our hypothesized model, social trust had an indirect influence on acceptance through similar effects of perceived benefit and perceived risk. Additional quantitative analysis showed that the source of information and technology term had little to no effect on acceptance. Applications involving animals were perceived as less beneficial than a plant application, and an application for increased cattle muscle growth was perceived as more risky than a plant application. When assessing the acceptability of applications participants considered impacts on plants, animals, and people, trust in actors and technologies, and weighed benefits and drawbacks of GE. Future work should consider how to best measure acceptability of GE for animals, consider contextual factors and consider the use of inductive frameworks.

Food safety among and beyond: the power of market actors, institutions and researchers in the new era of food safety from farm-to-table

Purpose. The study objective is to assess the impact of a number of factors, such as buying and psychological behaviours, experience, knowledge and information about food quality and safety, trust in actors and institutions, risk perceptions, safety knowledge and willingness to pay, increased risks in last years and change in consumption, on the food safety of conventional agricultural products (vegetables) in the markets of the city of Tirana, Albania. Methodology / approach. The questionnaire used for achieving the study objective was initially discussed at the level of a focus group and after improvements was used in food markets of agri-products in the city of Tirana, Albania. Interviewing process (220 persons) was carried out according to the procedure of the random choice and an appropriate statistical model was used. Results. The study presents an assessment of the impact of some important factors to food safety and the specifics of recent years, illustrated by a research on the markets of conventional agri-products in Tirana, Albania. The results suggest special attention to the sustainability of food safety in the new era through coordinated actions of the key actors in the agri-food chain, governmental institutions, and especially researchers, considering the material and social concerns of the functioning of markets, building new consumption models and risk managements strategies. Originality / scientific novelty. In addition to a simplistic approach, the problem of food safety in Albania is related to the multi-plane development, regarding the functioning of institutions (eg formal, informal) and trust in them, actors in markets (eg producers, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) or socio-economic phenomena (eg migration, etc.), as factors that may affect differently to food safety. Sustainability of food safety is important for agricultural production, sustainable consumption and trade, which represent sectors with scope and importance for the country’s economy. Based on the multidisciplinary and multidimensional aspects of a wide group of factors (eg external, internal, etc.) acting in a predictable or unpredictable way and influencing food safety, the identification of possible links of some more specific ones in the case of Albania is of particular research interest and in its essence it represents a new approach applied in the country’s studies in that field. Practical value / implications. In the new era of science and innovations, of smart techniques and policies and consumers’ behaviours, characterized by the interaction of a multitude of factors, the research focus on the food safety is reasonable and makes a particular sense. The study may be useful in several aspects, and especially for (1) consumer protection agencies; (2) agricultural producer units; and (3) future research given the challenges of food safety in the new era.

Identifying Differences in Consumer Attitudes towards Local Foods in Organic and National Voluntary Quality Certification Schemes

As no study on attitudes towards local food has compared "organic" and national quality scheme consumer segments, this study aimed to provide further insights and clarifications on the issue of consumer segmentation in terms of trust towards organic food and food of selected quality perceived as local, along socioeconomic characteristics, and other important determinants of this complex interaction. The research examines consumers' attitudes and perceptions related to two quality schemes for special Slovenian foods: "Organic", which relates to production methods; and "Selected Quality", which relates to quality attributes. The study focused on two segments of consumers, who exhibit a high level of trust towards the two quality schemes. Comparative analysis of the consumer segments looked for the potential differences with respect to their sociodemographic profiles, as well as to their understanding of the definition of local food, attitudes towards local food, trust in actors and institutions, and willingness to purchase local food. The study combined qualitative approaches and a quantitative survey with a general population sample. The results showed that both consumer groups have similar understandings of local food, with region-based interpretations outperforming country-based interpretations. The "Organic" group was more cosmopolitan and supportive of the local community, regardless of geographic proximity, than the "Selected Quality" group. Older consumers occupy a larger share of both segments, with professionals and individuals with higher incomes more likely to be in the "Organic" group and retirees and students more likely to be in the "Selected Quality" group. To increase the consumers' interest in food with the "Organic" and "Selected Quality" schemes, more specific product propositions should be developed.

Students’ Trust and Their Educational Trajectory after Graduation

The article is devoted to the role of students’ trust in shaping their educational trajectory after graduation. In particular, the question is how students’ trust in the actors of higher education (peers, teachers and university management) is related to their intention to continue their education in the specialty received after graduating from a bachelor’s or specialist’s degree. The nature of trust refers not only to the psychological characteristics of a person, but also finds its roots in social relations. When studying educational trajectories this hallmark of trust makes it possible to shift the focus from socio-economic, institutional, gender, and psychological factors that are regularly in the field of researchers’ attention to relational ones, which appear relatively rarely in their field of interest. The work uses data from a sociological survey of students of Russian universities. The results obtained are that students’ trust in university management, in contrast to their trust in other actors, is the most significant indicator that they will continue their education in their specialty after graduation. Students’ trust in peers and teachers are less stable factors. In addition, the addressee of trust, rather than the radius, is more important for students to decide whether to continue their education in their specialty after graduation.

Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: A Cross-National Survey

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, countries around the world have implemented a range of measures and virus containment strategies, including digital contact-tracing (DCT) in the form of smartphone apps. While early studies showed a high level of acceptability of such technologies, the adoption rates varied greatly between countries after contact-tracing apps became available to download. This cross-national user survey ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${n}=871$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ) aims to explore public attitudes and factors that affect user acceptability and adoption of contact-tracing apps in the USA, UK, and the Republic of Ireland, which employ similar underlying technology, but have uneven adoption rates. The results indicate interactions between installation decisions and public trust in actors and institutions communicating COVID-related information, and releasing such technologies. Beyond the immediate case of contact tracing, our findings hold implications for the deployment and communicative framing of technology for public health and the public good, and inform the design of crisis response public health information systems.

Determinants of the willingness to buy products certified by omics technology: differences between regular and occasional consumers of organic food

Consumers’ demand for organic food has increased in the last years, together with a growing request for food authentication and safety. Omics technologies represent a viable analytical strategy to respond to such needs, strengthen food safety information transmission between consumers and industry, and differentiate between organic and conventional products. However, little is known about consumers’ perception of such a novel certification approach. The present research ought to provide insights into the perspectives of consumers, exploring the antecedents of their intention to purchase organic vegetables certified through omics technologies and differentiating between regular and occasional consumers of organic foods. Data were collected from a representative sample of 807 Italian respondents who completed a self-report questionnaire, and Structural Equation Modeling was performed to analyze the data. Results show that several factors influence consumers’ approach to omics technology, among which trust in actors in the food industry, attitudes towards the technology and environmental food concerns. In addition, the study drew attention to the differential path impacting consumers with distinct eating habits. Indeed, the degree of importance attributed to food in one’s life and the interest towards innovative food are significant predictors of the intention to adopt omics technology only for people consuming organic products with higher frequency. Also, trust in industry actors follows a different path for regular and occasional organic food consumers. The present study sheds light on consumers’ perspective on omics technologies, a relatively unexplored topic. Moreover, it allowed to differentiate consumers based on their organic consumption habits, which has been rarely done in previous research. The evidence collected suggests the need for tailored communication programs to stimulate the adoption of omics technologies and foster consumers’ confidence in novel food technologies.

Trust and consumer confidence in the safety of dairy products in China

PurposeThis study aims to explore the degree of Chinese consumers' trust and confidence in the Chinese dairy products supply chain and the relationships between trust and overall confidence in dairy products safety and quality.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data from 1,278 respondents by field survey from five provinces of China. The data were analyzed using ordered logit model.FindingsThis study shows the following results: (1) Chinese consumer confidence in domestic dairy products and trust in actors of the dairy chain are at a moderate-to-low level. (2) Government regulators are considered to take the most responsibility, with both an optimism-enhancing and a pessimism-reducing effect (the former effect is greater), while perceived trust in dairy farmers and retailers has little effect. (3) Perceived care has both an optimism-enhancing and a pessimism-reducing effect, and the former effect is stronger. Competence and openness have an optimism-enhancing effect and a pessimism-reducing effect, respectively. (4) The importance of the three dimensions of trust related to optimism-increasing and pessimism-reduction is limited, except in the case of government regulators.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a better understanding of consumer trust in food safety and also help demonstrate to the actors and institutions involved in the dairy supply chain the best way to improve the performance of their duties to meet the consumers' needs for safe and quality dairy products.

Parents' trust in food safety and healthiness of children's diets: A TPB model explaining the role of retailers and government

This study started from the assumption that children's healthy diets are primarily determined by their parents and their intentions towards serving fruit and vegetables. Although it is widely known that a significant share in fruits and vegetables in children's diets has several advantages, there are some safety issues that can act as barriers in promoting fruit and vegetable consumption.Therefore, we investigated parents' determinants in giving fruits and vegetables to their children taking into account that the trust in actors who minimize the presence of risks could be instrumental to understand the whole story. Due to the incidence of childhood obesity, Southern Italy is a suitable case study. An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (tpb) model including trust towards government and retailers has been set up.Results suggested that parental intention to give to their children fruits and vegetables in primarily determined by their perceived behavioral control, then by their attitude and by subjective norm.Trust has been proved to influence parents' intentions, but only related to retailers and not to government. Furthermore, the model positively explained childrens' behavior reported by parents.

Trust in the Process: Renewable Energy Governance in Malaysia and Indonesia

Studies on renewable energy (RE) policies and policy making have generally focused on the Global North. This article homes in on how trust, an underexamined concept in the multi‐level governance literature, affects RE trajectories in Malaysia and Indonesia. Through comparative analysis, we find that different levels of trust result in similar degrees of RE policy support, but dissimilar degrees of engagement between state and societal actors in RE policy making. Negative expectations of the social grievances engendered by RE transitions contribute to reluctant, though legitimized, pursuits of clean energy production and consumption. Meanwhile, trust in actors' nationalism—that is, in opposing a Global North environmental agenda and demonstrating constitutionally aligned resource management in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively—facilitates more inclusive policy making. Due to greater nationalism, Indonesia's state‐society engagement in RE governance is stronger and leads to a civil RE movement that outpaces Malaysia's overall.Related ArticlesAsh, John. 2010. “New Nuclear Energy, Risk, and Justice: Regulatory Strategies for an era of Limited Trust.” Politics &amp; Policy 38 (2): 225‐284. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00237.xKhodr, Hiba, and Isabella Ruble. 2013. “Energy Policies and Domestic Politics in the MENA Region in the Aftermath of the Arab Upheavals: The Cases of Lebanon, Libya, and KSA.” Politics &amp; Policy 41 (5): 656‐689. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12033Wood, Steve. 2009. “Energy Security, Normative Dilemmas, and Institutional Camouflage: Europe's Pragmatism.” Politics &amp; Policy 37 (3): 611‐635. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2009.00187.x

Examining the inter-relationships between procedural fairness, trust in actors, risk expectations, perceived benefits, and attitudes towards power grid expansion projects

This study contributes to the literature by examining the effects of four particular determinants of public attitudes towards power grid expansion projects, namely residents' perceived procedural fairness, their trust in actors involved in the planning procedure, their risk expectations, and their perceived benefits. By accessing data collected from residents living along and in the wider area of a controversially discussed grid expansion project in Germany, a theoretically derived path model was tested empirically by means of structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that perceived procedural fairness directly affected residents’ trust in actors and indirectly influenced their risk expectations, their perceived benefits, and attitudes. Trust exerted a significant influence on risk expectations, perceived benefits, and attitudes, whereas risk expectations and perceived benefits significantly affected attitudes. Overall, the findings provide novel insights into specific mechanisms that shape public attitudes towards the construction of new HVTLs and suggest that it is crucial for the competent planning authorities and transmission system operators to provide fair information and participation measures and establish a trustworthy relationship to local residents affected by the infrastructure project.

Successful Small-Scale Household Relocation after a Millennial Flood Event in Simbach, Germany 2016

International and national laws promote stakeholder collaboration and the inclusion of the community in flood risk management (FRM). Currently, relocation as a mitigation strategy against river floods in Central Europe is rarely applied. FRM needs sufficient preparation and engagement for successful implementation of household relocation. This case study deals with the extreme flood event in June 2016 at the Simbach torrent in Bavaria (Germany). The focus lies on the planning process of structural flood defense measures and the small-scale relocation of 11 households. The adaptive planning process started right after the damaging event and was executed in collaboration with authorities and stakeholders of various levels and disciplines while at the same time including the local citizens. Residents were informed early, and personal communication, as well as trust in actors, enhanced the acceptance of decisions. Although technical knowledge was shared and concerns discussed, resident participation in the planning process was restricted. However, the given pre-conditions were found beneficial. In addition, a compensation payment contributed to a successful process. Thus, the study illustrates a positive image of the implementation of the alleviation scheme. Furthermore, preliminary planning activities and precautionary behavior (e.g., natural hazard insurance) were noted as significant factors to enable effective integrated flood risk management (IFRM).

Relationship of Trust in Actors Related to Criminal Justice with Attitudes Toward Criminal Justice

Relationship of Trust in Actors Related to Criminal Justice with Attitudes Toward Criminal Justice

The Acceptability of Land Pools for the Sustainable Revalorisation of Wetland Meadows in the Spreewald Region, Germany

To successfully implement sustainability innovations, it is crucial to gain knowledge about their acceptability by potential users. This paper addresses the acceptability of land pools for the sustainable revalorization of wetland meadows using two case studies in a cultural landscape (CL) in Germany. The aim of this study is to analyse factors that influence the decisions of landowners and farmers towards these land pools. Therefore, we developed a sociologically driven framework of acceptability. We applied structured qualitative text analysis for analysing qualitative interviews. The results show that acceptability differs between the two case study areas and between interviewees. The value-based appreciation of the CL is high, but does not lead “per se” to a positive acceptance of the land pools. Reasons for this are the lack of shared values and the existence of diverging opinions about the objectives of land pools. Additional important factors are previous experiences, level of participation, and trust in actors or institutions. A recommendation is that discussion of values of nature supports the identification of shared values. A clear description of the problem and embedding the concept in a systematic strategy for regional development could enhance acceptability. For the success of similar sustainability innovations, it is essential to design a fair innovation process (transparent communication and active actors’ involvement). A theoretical-conceptual conclusion is that the acceptability framework supports qualitative, in-depth and actor-centred analyses focussing on linkages between values and arguments on different levels. The framework also reveals diverse and previously unknown factors.

Vertrouwen in toezichtsactoren in uitgaansgebieden: een vergelijking tussen politie, portiers en cameratoezicht

While studies on trust in the police are numerous, this is much less the case for other policing actors. It is important to examine this in the light of the increasing number and diversification of policing actors and their legitimacy. Using a survey, 894 youngsters were asked to evaluate their trust in actors involved in the policing of urban nightlife areas: the police, door staff, and CCTV. Results showed that people tend to trust human actors of surveillance more compared to technological actors, however different (demographic and contextual) factors nuance this pattern.

Policing nightlife areas: comparing youths’ trust in police, door staff and CCTV

ABSTRACT Against a background of the pluralisation of policing in contemporary city spaces, and sustained interests in the assessment of policing in the criminology and criminal justice literatures, the current study seeks to draw a comparative analysis in trust between policing actors, as experienced by nightlife consumers. While studies on trust in the police are numerous, this is much less the case for other actors involved in policing urban (nightlife) spaces. Neither is it very well understood how trust is distributed between policing actors. It is important to investigate this, taking into consideration the privatisation and technologisation of safety provision in contemporary cities, and the legitimacy of the actors involved. Using a survey, 894 youths enrolled in education were asked to evaluate their trust in actors involved in the policing of urban nightlife areas: the police, door staff, and CCTV. Results showed that people tend to trust human policing agents more compared to technological agents. A cluster analysis further indicated that alongside this general pattern, four additional groups can be found in the data: two groups that display the highest trust in either the police or door staff with intermediate trust in CCTV, and two groups expressing either overall low trust or overall high trust, independent of the policing actor. Employing logistic regression analyses, we find that demographic, victimisation, and contextual variables predict cluster membership. We end with suggestions for future research and reflect on whether the privatisation and technologisation of (nightlife) policing are desirable from a nightlife consumer point of view.

Food fraud and the perceived integrity of European food imports into China.

Background/AimsPersistent incidents of food fraud in China have resulted in low levels of consumer trust in the authenticity and safety of food that is domestically produced. We examined the relationship between the concerns of Chinese consumers regarding food fraud, and the role that demonstrating authenticity may play in relieving those concerns.MethodsA two-stage mixed method design research design was adopted. First, qualitative research (focus groups n = 7) was conducted in three Chinese cities, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu to explore concerns held by Chinese consumers in relation to food fraud. A subsequent quantitative survey (n = 850) tested hypotheses derived from the qualitative research and theoretical literature regarding the relationship between attitudinal measures (including risk perceptions, social trust, and perceptions of benefit associated with demonstrating authenticity), and behavioral intention to purchase “authentic” European products using structural equation modelling.ResultsChinese consumers perceive food fraud to be a hazard that represents a food safety risk. Food hazard concern was identified to be geographically influenced. Consumers in Chengdu (tier 2 city) possessed higher levels of hazard concern compared to consumers in Beijing and Guangzhou (tier 1). Structural trust (i.e. trust in actors and the governance of the food supply chain) was not a significant predictor of attitude and intention to purchase authenticated food products. Consumers were shown to have developed ‘risk-relieving’ strategies to compensate for the lack of trust in Chinese food and the dissonance experienced as a consequence of food fraud. Indexical and iconic authenticity cues provided by food manufacturers and regulators were important elements of product evaluations, although geographical differences in their perceived importance were observed.ConclusionsTargeted communication of authenticity assurance measures, including; regulations; enforcement; product testing; and actions taken by industry may improve Chinese consumer trust in the domestic food supply chain and reduce consumer concerns regarding the food safety risks associated with food fraud. To support product differentiation and retain prestige, European food manufactures operating within the Chinese market should recognise regional disparities in consumer risk perceptions regarding food fraud and the importance of personal risk mitigation strategies adopted by Chinese consumers to support the identification of authentic products.

European consumer healthiness evaluation of ‘Free-from’ labelled food products

This study aimed to find out how “free-from labelling” shapes consumers’ perception of food products and whether the absence of an ingredient is considered an indicator of improved nutritional value of the product. An online survey was conducted in four European countries: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Poland, and France (overall N = 1950). Four “free-from labels” (lactose-free, gluten-free, GMO-free, and palm oil-free) were tested using different product categories that these labels typically appear on. Healthiness perception was evaluated by comparing products with the free-from labels to identical products without the labels. Potential predictors for healthiness evaluation and intention to pay a price premium were assessed, including nutrition knowledge, information-seeking on food packages, preference for food naturalness, general health interest, trust in actors in the food domain, and affect regarding the absent ingredients. Products with a free-from label were considered healthier than products without such a label, with the strongest effects occurring for labels indicating that products were free of GMOs and free of palm oil. Some differences were observed among countries in the evaluation of the product-label combinations. Information-seeking, nutrition knowledge, and affect were significant predictors of healthiness evaluation. Furthermore, healthiness evaluation, information-seeking, nutrition knowledge, and preference for naturalness predicted intention to pay a price premium for products labelled free-from. When shaping consumers’ food shopping behaviour using certain food labels, it is important to know how consumers interpret those labels. A false interpretation of labels might lead to unintended changes in consumer behaviour.

Parathyroid surgery within an OMFS department: Indications and changes in service provision over a 10 year period

Intro: The standard of care for symptomatic hyperparathyroidism is surgical removal of all hyperfunctional parathyroid tissue. We reviewed one trust's activity in performing parathyroid surgery over a 10 year period. We looked at both indications for surgery and yearly trends in the number of cases carried out. All patients were treated within the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.