Trust In Stakeholders Research Articles

"They Make Us Old Before We're Old": Designing Ethical Health Technology with and for Older Adults

Voice-first ambient interfaces (VFAIs), such as Alexa, can uniquely meet the health needs of older adults. However, inequitable technology may worsen health disparities and decrease independence, calling for participatory methods to increase the agency of older adults in the design processes of these technologies. We adapt and conduct a participatory design workshop to focus on ambient interfaces for home health with 13 diverse older adults in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Using the prototypes they made as discussion catalyzers, participants shared different perspectives entailing stigmatized topics that can be difficult to discuss, such as drug use, sex, isolation, and dementia. They deliberated on the negative implications of VFAIs, such as a justified concern for surveillance, in conjunction with their positive implications, such as receiving always-available ''non-judgmental'' support. Similarly, the risk of leaking drug use data was considered alongside the benefits of sharing important medical information with clinicians. We synthesize our findings into design considerations, such as how we might address varying levels of trust in different stakeholders and reduce stigma that may hinder users from fully benefiting from VFAIs' capabilities.

Promoting ownership in local community health promotion interventions

Abstract Background A prerequisite for successful and sustainable implementation of local community health interventions is strong community ownership. Ownership is related to the level of perceived control of an intervention and its program components. Facilitation of community ownership involves engagement of the stakeholders within the community, e.g. in deciding what the problem is to whom and how to solve it. Much is known about methods to facilitate community engagement at a continuum between informing the community and community control. However, less is known about how different methods for community engagement work to foster and sustain ownership among local stakeholders. Aim To generate knowledge about how ownership is fostered or hindered among stakeholders across three different communities in a local community intervention with whole-of-community characteristics implemented to reduce overweight among children. The study also explores how synergies of ownership between various types of stakeholders at different organizational levels influence overall ownership and implementation of the intervention. Methods The study is designed as a multiple case study based on Robert K. Yin’s principles for case study evaluation. The study takes place in three different Danish Municipalities with different local contextual conditions. Various data sources are collected including sources of qualitative data comprising document analysis, observations, and interviews with key stakeholders. Preliminary results An influential contextual factor on local ownership is that implementation of the intervention and commitment to this in 10 years is a top-down decision at the policy level. Local stakeholders find the goals of the intervention meaningful to their day-to-day practices. However, they also experience a shortage of resources for participating and lack trust in higher management stakeholders to take shared leadership when the implementation phase ends. Key messages • Ownership is influenced by the degree of engagement. • Ownership is influence by the synergy of ownership between different stakeholders.

Smallholder Farmers’ Perception Of Sunflower Commercialization: A Case In Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya

Low-income generation among Smallholder farmers could be attributed to their low sunflower commercialization with subsequent effects from their knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, commercializing efforts, and trust in critical stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. Thus, this study analyzed smallholder farmers’ perception of sunflower commercialization, which may contribute to improving sunflower commercialization. A pilot study was carried out in Kabuchai Sub-County before the Kimilili Sub-County, Bungoma County, Kenya survey. 288 sunflower smallholder farmers were interviewed using an open and close-ended questionnaire where a multistage sampling procedure was applied. The study used factor analysis and structural equation models to analyze the perception of smallholder farmers on sunflower commercialization. The factor analysis model reflected that smallholder farmers firmly trust agricultural cooperatives, media, and the national government in sunflower commercialization. However, they moderately trusted producer groups, farmer groups, and neighbour farmers. Smallholder sunflower farmers also strongly trusted different market outlets based on Factors 1 and 2. They strongly trusted exporters, producer groups, and neighbor farmers under factor 1 as their market outlets but lowly trusted brokers and supermarkets. Further, they highly trusted brokers and supermarkets under factor 2 as their market outlets and lowly trusted exporters, producer groups, and neighbor farmers as their market outlets. Additionally, smallholder farmers expressed their proactiveness strongly on commercial impact, commercial efficiency, and farmers’ view concerns about their sunflower commercialization. They lowly suggested marketing channels contracts, and commercial contributions to their livelihoods to shape their proactiveness on sunflower commercialization. An alpha reliability scale of over 0.79 per measurement variable and a KMO value of over 0.8 was obtained for this study, showing the internal consistency of the data. The SEM analysis showed that smallholder farmers’ entrepreneurship, trust in institutions, and market outlets influenced sunflower commercialization. However, their proactiveness negatively affected sunflower commercialization. The study recommends support of sunflower smallholder farmers in access to market information and strengthening their trust through institutions viable outcomes on them through the agricultural cooperatives, the national government, and coordination by the international markets.

Ethical Considerations in Infodemic Management: Systematic Scoping Review.

During health emergencies, effective infodemic management has become a paramount challenge. A new era marked by a rapidly changing information ecosystem, combined with the widespread dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, has magnified the complexity of the issue. For infodemic management measures to be effective, acceptable, and trustworthy, a robust framework of ethical considerations is needed. This systematic scoping review aims to identify and analyze ethical considerations and procedural principles relevant to infodemic management, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of these practices and increasing trust in stakeholders performing infodemic management practices with the goal of safeguarding public health. The review involved a comprehensive examination of the literature related to ethical considerations in infodemic management from 2002 to 2022, drawing from publications in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Policy documents and relevant material were included in the search strategy. Papers were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and core thematic areas were systematically identified and categorized following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. We analyzed the literature to identify substantive ethical principles that were crucial for guiding actions in the realms of infodemic management and social listening, as well as related procedural ethical principles. In this review, we consider ethical principles that are extensively deliberated upon in the literature, such as equity, justice, or respect for autonomy. However, we acknowledge the existence and relevance of procedural practices, which we also consider as ethical principles or practices that, when implemented, enhance the efficacy of infodemic management while ensuring the respect of substantive ethical principles. Drawing from 103 publications, the review yielded several key findings related to ethical principles, approaches, and guidelines for practice in the context of infodemic management. Community engagement, empowerment through education, and inclusivity emerged as procedural principles and practices that enhance the quality and effectiveness of communication and social listening efforts, fostering trust, a key emerging theme and crucial ethical principle. The review also emphasized the significance of transparency, privacy, and cybersecurity in data collection. This review underscores the pivotal role of ethics in bolstering the efficacy of infodemic management. From the analyzed body of literature, it becomes evident that ethical considerations serve as essential instruments for cultivating trust and credibility while also facilitating the medium-term and long-term viability of infodemic management approaches.

Examining the role of knowledge and trust on vaccine confidence in North Dakota among university students, faculty, and staff

BackgroundVaccination is one of the greatest tools for individuals to stay healthy. Individuals are, however, often exposed to misinformation via digital and social media, and thus, may miss the opportunity to develop scientific knowledge about vaccines and trust in relevant stakeholders. This has a damaging impact on vaccine confidence. Understanding vaccine confidence is particularly important in North Dakota, where vaccination rates are lower than national averages.ObjectivesThe objectives of this research are to examine the association between vaccine confidence and three potential sources of it, namely, trust, vaccine knowledge, and vaccine information sources and to investigate the relative strength of three vaccine confidence sources, while accounting for covariates.MethodsStudents (n = 517, 56.6%) and staff and faculty (n = 397, 43.4%) at the University of North Dakota (n = 914) completed an online survey. Logistic regressions estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations among trust in doctors, family/friends, government health agencies, charitable organizations, and religious organizations, vaccine knowledge, vaccine information sources as well as vaccine confidence, accounting for gender, race, marital status, age, religion, political ideology, education, and health status.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 29.43 years (SD = 13.48). Most were females (71.6%) and white (91.5%). Great trust in doctors (OR = 3.29, p < 0.001, 95%CI 1.89, 5.73) government health agencies (OR = 2.95, p < 0.001, 95%CI 2.13, 4.08) and vaccine knowledge (OR = 1.28, p < 0.001, 95%CI 1.18, 1.38) had higher odds of vaccine confidence. Using Internet Government source as the primary source of vaccine information (OR = 1.73, p < 0.05, 95%CI 1.22, 2.44) showed higher odds of vaccine confidence before all independent variables were introduced, but it became non-significant after they were introduced. Trust in government health agencies showed strongest associations with vaccine confidence.ConclusionMultiple stakeholders are necessary to ensure verified, accessible, and accurate information in order to advance vaccine confidence in rural, conservative areas.

Scorched Earth: Employers’ Breached Trust in Refugees’ Labor Market Integration

Employment is critical for refugees’ positive integration into a receiving country. Enabling employment requires cross-sector collaborations, that is, employers collaborating with different stakeholders such as refugees, local employees, other employers, unofficial/official supporters, and authorities. A vital element of cross-sector collaborations is trust, yet the complexity of cross-sector collaborations may challenge the formation and maintenance of trust. Following a theory elaboration approach, this qualitative study with 37 employers and 27 support workers in Germany explores how employers’ experiences in cross-sector collaborations on refugees’ labor market integration affect their trust in other stakeholders in this cross-sector space. Specifically, we explored employers’ perceptions of trust breaches, and how these perceptions affect their further engagement in cross-sector collaborations on refugee integration. Based on our findings, we propose a process model that describes how unmet collaboration expectations and negative assessments of collaborators’ attitudes and behaviors lead to perceived trust breaches which, in turn, lead to employers’ hesitancy to hire refugees and/or to engage in cross-sector collaborations. In doing so, we extend existing theory on trust within organizations to the cross-sector context of refugee integration, uncovering context-specific meanings to trustworthiness dimensions and illustrating how breaches of different trustworthiness dimensions can interact. Moreover, we show how social policies, resources, and trustors’ perceived vulnerability in collaborations shape their risk perceptions. This study highlights the central role of trust for refugee integration and illustrates how missing goals and process clarity endanger sustainable collaborations.

A Review of the New Nigeria Startup Act 2022: Benefits and Challenges for the Tech Ecosystem in Nigeria

The opening section of the new Nigeria Startup Act (NSA, Section 1(d)) recognizes the objective of the Startup Act 2022 as “positioning Nigeria’s startup ecosystem as the leading digital technology center in Africa, having excellent innovators with cutting edge skills and exportable capacity.” The Startup Bill signed into law on the 20th of October 2022, further established a ‘Startup Investment Fund” to provide relief to startups, technology laboratories, accelerators, incubators and hubs in Nigeria. In light of the Nation’s strategic reforms for development and the push for technological advancement amongst nations, the Nigerian government passed the 2022 Nigeria Startup Act as a regulatory framework to strengthen and structuralize the Nation’s fastest growing sector, as well as provide the necessary support for startups while recognizing the importance of Education, Funding and Intellectual Property to the development of the Tech ecosystem in Nigeria. The NSA also assures government involvement in the Nigerian tech ecosystem which will further strengthen and instill trust in investors and stakeholders alike. In this paper, we will attempt a review of notable provisions of this Act, implications for the Nigerian tech ecosystem, challenges posed by the NSA and recommendations for policy.

The Social Ecological Model: A Framework for Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among Healthcare Workers-A Scoping Review.

Vaccination plays a crucial role in combating the global COVID-19 pandemic. Immunizing all healthcare workers (HCWs) is essential for increasing vaccine confidence and acceptance within the general population. Understanding the factors that hinder or facilitate vaccine uptake among HCWs is of utmost importance, considering they are among the first to be vaccinated. This review follows Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage methodological framework. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, WorldCat Discovery, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles published from 2020 to 2023. A descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis approach were employed to collect and synthesize data. Using the social-ecological model as a framework, the literature was categorized into themes at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. We reviewed a total of fifty-three published academic articles, with the majority of studies conducted in Ethiopia and Nigeria. The intention for vaccine uptake resulted in an unsatisfactory (52%) overall uptake rate among HCWs. Individual-level determinants associated with vaccine uptake included being male, middle-aged, being a physician, having a higher level of education, and having a chronic illness. This review identified significant barriers at each level, such as safety concerns, perceived scientific uncertainty, vaccine ineffectiveness, lack of trust in stakeholders, and religious beliefs. Additionally, we identified facilitators at each level, with the most common factors promoting intention to uptake being the desire to protect oneself and others and a high perceived susceptibility to contracting COVID-19. This review highlights the existence of significant barriers to vaccine uptake on the African continent. Given that HCWs play a crucial role in guiding the public's vaccination decisions, it is imperative to prioritize education and training efforts about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Human-induced seismicity and the public acceptance of hydraulic fracturing: A vignette experiment

Despite years of debate, hydraulic fracturing (HF) remains controversial. While the balance of perceived economic benefits and environmental costs of “fracking” has generated much debate, the question of whether citizens could accept the risk of induced earthquakes from HF remains largely unanswered. This paper uses data from a survey-based vignette experiment with (n=1,300) individuals in Western Canada to analyze factors in public perceptions and the acceptance of HF projects. Scenario attributes explicitly address the role of distributional and procedural fairness in the siting of projects together with seismicity risks modelled by a modified Mercalli intensity scale. The analysis controls for proximity and common negative environmental externalities of HF. Random effects models suggest that the notion of earthquake risks alone stands in the way of public acceptance of HF; independent of where individuals stand on the HF controversy. Affiliation with the energy industry, perceived knowledge of HF, and support for and/or concerns with different energy sources and their environmental impacts are found to shape individuals’ perceptions, including benefits and risks, and the overall acceptability of HF projects. We find this polarization to extend to (mis-)trust in different sector and policy stakeholders.

Halal or not? Exploring Muslim perceptions of cultured meat in Singapore

Singapore was the first country to approve cultured meat for public consumption. However, it remains unclear whether Muslims, who adhere to religious dietary restrictions and constitute a significant proportion of Singapore's population, are willing to consume cultured meat. Informed by the cognitive miser model, this study explores how Muslims make sense of cultured meat through their religious beliefs, trust in different stakeholders, as well as their risk or benefit perceptions of cultured meat. The findings from online focus group discussions showed that Muslim participants would only consider consuming cultured meat if it is certified halal (i.e., compliant with Islamic laws) and they also voiced religious concerns about cultured meat. Muslims have strong trust in food regulatory authorities in providing information about the safety and halal status of cultured meat. In addition to religious concerns, Muslims had similar risk and benefit perceptions of cultured meat compared to those of the non-Muslims. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

The social and socio-political embeddedness of COVID-19 vaccination decision-making: A five-country qualitative interview study from Europe.

The uptake ofCOVID-19 vaccines has varied considerably across European countries. This study investigates people's decision-making process regarding vaccination by analyzing qualitative interviews (n=214) with residents from five European countries: Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. We identify three factors that shape vaccination decision-making: individual experiences and pre-existing attitudes towards vaccination, social environment, and socio-political context. Based on this analysis, we present a typology of decision-making regarding COVID-19 vaccines, where some types present stable stances towards vaccines and others change over time. Trust in government and relevant stakeholders, broader social factors, and people's direct social environment were particularly relevant to these dynamics. We conclude that vaccination campaigns should be considered long-term projects (also outside of pandemics) in need of regular adjustment, communication and fine-tuning to ensure public trust. This is particularly pertinent for booster vaccinations, such as COVID-19 or influenza.

Assessing social capital in community forest management in the Mount Hamiding Protection Forest, North Halmahera District, North Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract. Kailola J, Purwanto RH, Sumardi, Faida LRW. 2023. Assessing social capital in community forest management in the Mount Hamiding Protection Forest, North Halmahera District, North Maluku, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 431-440. The success of forest management in the context of community forestry cannot be separated from the contribution of social capital. The Mount Hamiding Protection Forest is administratively located in North Halmahera District, North Maluku Province, Indonesia, and has a high biodiversity value with endemic flora and fauna. However, the management has not shown significant impacts in enhancing the welfare of the surrounding community, and there have been forest disturbances due to anthropogenic activities and vertical conflict. Hypothetically, the high level of social capital can support sustainable forest management and improve people's welfare, yet this has not been tested in the context of Mount Hamiding Protection Forest. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the social capital in community forest management in the Mount Hamiding Protection Forest. The quantitative survey was conducted in six villages in North Halmahera District, namely Wangongira, Efi-Efi, Mamuya, Togawa, Soakonora, and Roko. The elements of social capital assessed were trust, social norms, and social networks. The results showed that the level of community trust in the study area's six villages is in the medium category. However, the trust in the internal community is high, and trust in external stakeholders is medium. The communities in the six villages have overall high social norms. The social networks are high in Togawa, Soakonora, and Roko Villages, while the remaining villages have social networks in the medium category. Generally, the community around the Mount Hamiding Protection Forest area has a moderate social capital category due to a lack of participation and trust in written rules and government institutions. Therefore, the Forest Management Unit of North Halmahera District should strengthen the community's social capital to increase knowledge and understanding of written rules, trust in institutions, and network development through organization and participation.

Examining BEV Drivers’ Willingness to Share Personal Information in the Context of Smart Charging: Results of a Five-Month BEV Field Trail

Within the present contribution, we provide results from a highly naturalistic five-month smart charging field trial. A battery electric vehicle (BMW ActiveE) was provided to the participants and a smart charging station was installed at their home, where smart charging was remunerated during night-time. N = 20 participants took part. They were on average 48 years old and interviewed after 13 (T1) and 21 weeks (T2). Results revealed that participants were most unwilling to provide personal level 3-(deduced) information compared to level 2-(long-term) and level 1-(raw) data. The overall pattern in terms of serious concerns about deduced information and preferred data recipients as well as the perceived trust remained stable over time. Instead, there were significant differences in participants perceived trust between the stakeholders at T1. Most often the participants chose “all of the four” presented data recipients to whom they are willing to pass level 1 and level 2 information. However, the majority of participants chose “none” of them to pass level 3 information. Participants’ perceived trust in stakeholders was able to significantly predict their willingness to share personal information and underline its importance for taking part in smart charging.

Understanding Trust and Changes in Use After a Year With the NHS COVID-19 Contact Tracing App in the United Kingdom: Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundDigital contact tracing (DCT) apps have been implemented as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has focused on understanding acceptance and adoption of these apps, but more work is needed to understand the factors that may contribute to their sustained use. This is key to public health because DCT apps require a high uptake rate to decrease the transmission of the virus within the general population.ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand changes in the use of the National Health Service Test & Trace (T&T) COVID-19 DCT app and explore how public trust in the app evolved over a 1-year period.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal mixed methods study consisting of a digital survey in December 2020 followed by another digital survey and interview in November 2021, in which responses from 9 participants were explored in detail. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts. This paper focuses on the thematic analysis to unpack the reasoning behind participants’ answers.ResultsIn this paper, 5 themes generated through thematic analysis are discussed: flaws in the T&T app, usefulness and functionality affecting trust in the app, low trust in the UK government, varying degrees of trust in other stakeholders, and public consciousness and compliance dropping over time. Mistrust evolved from participants experiencing sociotechnical flaws in the app and led to concerns about the app’s usefulness. Similarly, mistrust in the government was linked to perceived poor pandemic handling and the creation and procurement of the app. However, more variability in trust in other stakeholders was highlighted depending on perceived competence and intentions. For example, Big Tech companies (ie, Apple and Google), large hospitality venues, and private contractors were seen as more capable, but participants mistrust their intentions, and small hospitality venues, local councils, and the National Health Service (ie, public health system) were seen as well-intentioned but there is mistrust in their ability to handle pandemic matters. Participants reported complying, or not, with T&T and pandemic guidance to different degrees but, overall, observed a drop in compliance over time.ConclusionsThese findings contribute to the wider implications of changes in DCT app use over time for public health. Findings suggest that trust in the wider T&T app ecosystem could be linked to changes in the use of the app; however, further empirical and theoretical work needs to be done to generalize the results because of the small, homogeneous sample. Initial novelty effects occurred with the app, which lessened over time as public concern and media representation of the pandemic decreased and normalization occurred. Trust in the sociotechnical capabilities of the app, stakeholders involved, and salience maintenance of the T&T app in conjunction with other measures are needed for sustained use.

Media use and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight cross-sectional surveys in Sweden.

While a lot has been written about Sweden's COVID-19 control strategy, less is known about Swedish residents' media use during the pandemic and trust in and perceived agreement among key stakeholders commenting in the media. Eight online, nationwide surveys were fielded between March and August 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Sweden, with 8146 responses. Questions were asked on media usage, perceived tone of media, trust in key pandemic stakeholder groups commenting in the media (politicians, journalists, government officials, doctors/healthcare professionals and researchers) and perceived agreement among these key stakeholders about how the pandemic was handled in Sweden. Using five or more information sources was associated with increased perceived alarmism in the media. Women and those with tertiary education were more likely to trust key pandemic actors. Trust in doctors/healthcare professionals and researchers remained high over the course of the study, trust in politicians and journalists was relatively low throughout the study period, with a slight increase in April 2020. Trust in key stakeholders was strongly associated with perceived agreement among the key stakeholders. Our results show that trust in stakeholders was strongly associated with perceived consistency of messages from those stakeholders. The inverse also holds: perceived conflicting messages among stakeholders was associated with low trust in them. Taken together, this could point to the importance of building trust before a crisis. Trust-building efforts could be targeted to men and those with lower educational attainment, as they had lower trust in key stakeholders.

Needs, Barriers and Facilitators of Adolescents Participating in a Lifestyle Promotion Program in Oncology: Stakeholders, Adolescents and Parents' Perspective.

Treatments for adolescent cancer can cause debilitating side effects in the short- and long-term such as nausea and malnutrition but also cardiometabolic disturbances. Although the risk for cardiometabolic complications is greater for adolescents with cancer than younger ones, adolescents typically respond poorly to family-oriented health promotion programs. This study aims to assess the needs, barriers and facilitators to healthy lifestyle promotion interventions for adolescents with cancer and how to best adapt these interventions for them. Interviews were held with adolescents treated for cancer (n = 9) and parents (n = 6), focus groups were conducted with stakeholders working in oncology (n = 12) and self-report questionnaires were sent to stakeholders involved in a health promotion intervention (n = 6). At the time of interview, mean age of adolescent participants (40% female) was 17.0 ± 1.9 years (mean age at diagnosis: 14.6 ± 1.6 years). Verbatim and responses to questionnaires were coded and analyzed using qualitative methods. Stakeholder stated that adolescents with cancer need to access activities adapted to their age, to communicate with peers going through a similar experience, and to preserve their schooling and friendships. Barriers to intervention reported by adolescents, parents and stakeholders include lack of motivation, schedule conflicts, fatigue and treatment side effects. Some of the barriers mentioned by adolescents and parents include pain, post-surgery problems, school, physical deconditioning, and lack of time. Facilitators mentioned by adolescents and parents comprise trust in stakeholders’ expertise, personalized approaches, scheduling flexibility. Stakeholders recommended to build trust in the relationship, favoring non-moralizing teachings, adapt interventions to adolescents’ limited attention span and avoiding the use of long-term health benefits as a motivator.

Pigkeepers’ knowledge and perceptions regarding African swine fever and the control measures in Estonia

African swine fever (ASF) has been present in Estonia since 2014, and pigkeepers play a major role in controlling the spread of viral infection in domestic pigs. Participatory epidemiology may provide insight into livestock keepers’ existing attitudes and compliance with implementing control strategies. By conducting focus group discussions and using participatory epidemiology tools, this study aimed to reveal pigkeepers’ knowledge and awareness of ASF clinical signs, transmission routes, and preventive measures. Furthermore, opinions including trust in stakeholders in ASF control, acceptability of ASF eradication, and control measures by pigkeepers in Estonia were identified. The most indicative ASF signs in pigs were “increased mortality” and “fever, inappetence, lethargy”. The highest risk of virus introduction into the herd was designated to “agricultural machinery, vehicles”, “rodents, birds, insects”, and “people”. “Fencing” was the most liked ASF preventive measure, while “training of staff in biosecurity and informing the visitors” was considered the most effective measure. The least accepted ASF eradication measure was “culling of all animals on the farm”. Generally, pigkeepers perceived that healthy animals should not be culled but only ASF-infected pigs. Additionally, healthy pigs could be slaughtered and used for the production of heat-treated canned meat. “Destroying the feed” of ASF-infected farms was not favoured because some pigkeepers proposed using it for other animal species. Regarding ASF territorial restrictions (zoning), “lower meat prices” and “economic losses” were regarded as consequences with the greatest impact. Pigkeepers ranked trust in “Veterinary Authority and Ministry of Rural Affairs” regarding their role in ASF prevention and control as high while perceiving themselves as the most trustworthy stakeholder within the ASF network. This study demonstrates a generally good level of awareness among the pigkeepers in Estonia concerning the clinical manifestation of ASF, the most relevant transmission routes of the virus for their farms, and preventive measures for ASF. Pigkeepers are aware of their own role in preventing ASF, and there is a high level of trust between them and government authorities. Additional efforts are needed from authorities to communicate better the purpose of some ASF control and eradication measures to the pigkeepers. Further incentives are required to support the implementation of costly biosecurity measures, assure compliance, and mitigate the consequences of these measures.

Households’ Earthquake Disaster Preparedness Behavior: The Role of Trust in and Help From Stakeholders

Earthquake is one of the most serious natural disasters. Taking scientific and reasonable earthquake preparedness measures can effectively reduce casualties and economic losses caused by earthquakes. It is important to understand how residents choose such earthquake preparedness measures to guide them accordingly. However, the current research has failed to address rural areas in developing countries and has inconsistency conclusions for two aspects related to stakeholders involved: the assistance the victims can get from stakeholders for applying earthquake preparedness measures and the trust in stakeholders’ disaster relief abilities. In this study, the rural residents affected by Wenchuan earthquake, Ya’an earthquake and Yibin earthquake were taken as the research objects, and 674 valid questionnaires were obtained through field household surveys. A Multinominal Logit Model (MNL) was constructed to explore the influence of villagers’ trust in the disaster relief ability of stakeholders and the help they can get from stakeholders on their preparedness behavior. The results show that the less trust the villagers have on the government and the community, and the more help they can get from the outside while preparing measures, the more inclined they are to take the disaster preparedness measures. Furthermore, the education level of villagers in earthquake-stricken areas has significant positive impacts on people’s earthquake preparedness behavior. People who are not born in rural areas are more likely to take earthquake preparedness measures. In addition, male, young and married villagers are more likely to take earthquake preparedness measures in their daily lives. This study enriches the theory of rural disaster prevention and mitigation, and provides reference for the practice of disaster prevention and mitigation in earthquake-stricken rural areas.

Homes of the future: Unpacking public perceptions to power the domestic hydrogen transition

Decarbonization in several countries is now linked to the prospect of implementing a national hydrogen economy. In countries with extensive natural gas infrastructure, hydrogen may provide a real opportunity to decarbonize space heating. While this approach may prove technically and economically feasible in the long-term, it is unclear whether consumers will be willing to adopt hydrogen-fueled appliances for heating and cooking should techno-economic feasibility be achieved. In response, this paper develops an analytical framework for examining hydrogen acceptance which links together socio-technical barriers and social acceptance factors. Applying this framework, the study synthesizes the existing knowledge on public perceptions of hydrogen and identifies critical knowledge gaps which should be addressed to support domestic hydrogen acceptance. The paper demonstrates that a future research agenda should account for the interactions between acceptance factors at the attitudinal, socio-political, market, community, and behavioral level. The analysis concludes that hydrogen is yet to permeate the public consciousness due to a lack of knowledge and awareness, owing to an absence of information dissemination. In response, consumer engagement in energy markets and stronger public trust in key stakeholders will help support social acceptance as the hydrogen transition unfolds. Affordability may prove the most critical barrier to the large-scale adoption of hydrogen homes, while the disruptive impacts of the switchover and distributional injustice represent key concerns. As a starting point, the promise of economic, environmental, and community benefits must be communicated and fulfilled to endorse the value of hydrogen homes.

How can I Connect? the Link between Flexible Work Arrangements and Inter-organizational Networks (Case study: Indonesian Civil Service)

This study aims to examine how significantly Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) contribute to the improvement of civil service inter-organizational networks by looking at various factors, including trust, adaptability, information technology readiness, and other control variables. This study uses a mixed-methods design. The quantitative approach uses an online survey of 675 civil servants’ respondents from central and regional agencies. A qualitative approach with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with local civil service in West Java Province, Central Java Province, and Semarang City. The collected data is then analyzed Path Analysis using SPSS version 25. The research revealed that Flexible Work Arrangements contributed to increasing the influence of the level of trust on the work network. Meanwhile, FWA do not contribute to the effect of adaptability and readiness of information technology on the work network. This is supported by qualitative data which shows that Trust is the main factor to increase the network when implementing FWA in order to create a good network, with high and solid trust, both trust in leaders, colleagues, and stakeholders, then any instruction as soon as possible is realized into a good cooperation network when FWA is realized by developing a Flexible Work Arrangement system