Traveller Perceptions of Trust in Air Traffic Controllers: A Cultural Comparison between India and the United States

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine passengers' trust in air traffic controllers, based on the age and gender of the controller. The job of an air traffic controller is difficult in terms of the physical and mental stressors involved. The retirement age for controllers was instated in an effort to avoid issues relating to lack of capabilities. Decline in trust in an aging workforce has become a trend in certain areas. Similarly, gender inequality in the workplace and the sentiment that female employees are not as capable as males is an issue experienced the world over. 376 participants from India and the United States were asked to assess their level of trust in an air traffic controller during an emergency situation. The data suggested that the American participants trusted the older controller (55 years old) more than the younger counterparts (25 years old) regardless of gender. However, the Indian participants trusted the younger controllers more than the older counterparts as long as they were male. A mediation analysis found that affect mediated the relationship for the American participants but not for the Indians. This implies that the Americans were basing their trust on emotions.

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“…Several consumer research studies have showed that emotions play a key role when a person is put in a situation that involves decision-making, and can be a mediating effect in relation to consumer opinions and trust (Mehta, Rice, & Rao, 2016;Mehta, Rice, Winter, & Buza, 2017;Rice, Winter, Kraemer, Mehta, & Oyman, 2015;Winter, Rice, Friendenreich, Mehta, & Kaiser, 2017;Winter, Rice, & Mehta, 2014). As mentioned in the previous section, emotions can cloud a person's ability to make sensible decisions.…”

O efeito moderador do risco percebido na percepção dos outros consumidores (OCP – other consumer perception)

“…A dimensão da similaridade pode ser entendida à medida que um cliente individual se sente semelhante com outros clientes, podendo identificar-se com estes no ambiente de serviço (Brocato et al, 2012;Mehta et al, 2016). A identidade social "permite que este indivíduo se localize nesse contexto" (Araujo et al, 2013, p. 4), ou seja, o cliente tende a se sentir mais confortável em ambientes que encontre pessoas semelhantes a ele (Cremer et al, 2015;Mehta et al, 2016).…”

“…A identidade social "permite que este indivíduo se localize nesse contexto" (Araujo et al, 2013, p. 4), ou seja, o cliente tende a se sentir mais confortável em ambientes que encontre pessoas semelhantes a ele (Cremer et al, 2015;Mehta et al, 2016). Quando o cliente se encontra em um ambiente frequentado por pessoas que apresentam essas características, avalia esse ambiente de maneira positiva dentro de um ambiente de varejo uma vez que, se sente mais compatível com os outros clientes (Brocato et al, 2012).…”

“…As pesquisas sobre as interações entre consumidores e também sobre a ausência dessas interações têm crescido nos últimos anos (por exemplo em Araujo et al, 2013;Cremer et al, 2015;Hudson et al, 2016;Mehta et al, 2016;entre outros). A importância dessa agenda de pesquisas é dada pelo impacto existente na relação entre consumidores, na qual a influência social é um fator importante, e muitas vezes decisivo, no processo de consumo.…”