Assessing the Link Between Online Mass Media and Trust in Government: Evidence From Seoul, South Korea

Abstract

This study examines the influence of citizens' use of online mass media on levels of trust in government, shedding light on the process by which citizens' use of online mass media serves to influence their levels of trust in government. I hypothesize that citizens' use of online mass media influences the relationship between citizens' predispositions toward government in general, and their levels of trust in government in particular, with perceptions of government performance acting as a mediating factor. To test this hypothesis a mediated moderation analysis is conducted using data from a sample of 907 Seoul citizens. The results suggest that citizens' use of online mass media has a positive indirect influence on their levels of trust in government. However, the strength of this influence decreases with more frequent use of online mass media.

Public Trust in Local Government: Explaining the Role of Good Governance Practices

“…Many researchers have argued that increasing performance is seen as a way of restoring trust in government (Porumbescu 2013;Van de Walle et al 2008;Yang and Holzer 2006;Christensen and Laegreid 2005). In line with this argument, as one of the performance indicators of a democratic government three practices of good governance were selected to examine their level of effect on public trust in local government.…”

“…In any case, if there is any mismatch between public's expectation and the actual performance of government institutions, the public may be forced to consider public employees as incompetent, wasteful, dishonest, and untrustworthy (Kim 2005). On the contrary, citizens' perceptions of public sector performance can influence citizens' perceptions of the ability, benevolence and integrity dimension of trustworthiness by demonstrating that the public sector possesses a set of skills and resources needed to guide society in a desirable direction (Porumbescu 2013). Therefore, a more positive perception with governmental services is seen as a way of restoring trust in government, in contrast; the opposite is true when the public develops a negative perception.…”

The Impact of E-Government on the Level of Corruption

“…The potential of e-government to transform public administration (enhancing its efficiency, costeffectiveness, quality of service) and the behaviour of officials (increasing accountability and transparency of their activities) even enable some experts to argue that information technology has led to a paradigm shift in public administration practices, particularly at the municipal management level. In this context, Southern Korea's experience is illustrative (Porumbescu, 2013): the e-system, improving management of the capital Seoul (OPEN) , provides any person at anytime and anywhere with the opportunity to apply (for permits, registrations, purchases, contracts, etc.) and track the status of their application.…”

The “Social Side” of Public Policy: Monitoring Online Public Opinion and Its Mobilization During the Policy Cycle

“…The potential contribution of social media to transform the power relationship between politicians, bureaucrats, and citizens has been the object of an exciting debate involving political scientists and philosophers, public policy scholars, information and communication technology experts, and practitioners focused on the widely known concept of e‐government (e.g., Carter & Bélanger, ; Clarke & Margetts, ; Margetts, ). Scholars have pointed out that social media provide an opportunity to foster the transparency of governments and to strengthen the interaction between citizens and public administrations, which in turn can positively affect trust in political institutions (Christensen et al, ; Porumbescu, ; Welch, Hinnant, & Moon, ).…”