›› 2017, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (10): 258-272.

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Evolution of Public Trust in Government from Online Collective Behaviors:Findings from a Multi-case Study

Hou Jundong1, Xiao Renbin2   

  1. 1. School of Economics & Management, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074;
    2. School of Automation, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074
  • Received:2015-09-30 Online:2017-10-28 Published:2017-11-01

Abstract:

In the current era where interpersonal interaction occurs both virtually and realistically, the increasingly frequent online collective behaviors have made it difficult for the government to react in an effective manner and as a result, the government is suffering from the evolution of public trust. A question is why the evolution occurs and what drives it. This paper aims to explore the evolution process and mechanism through a multi-case study from the comprehensive perspective of incident (process)-perception (mental)-action (participant). The finding is that six core factors play a significant role in evolution of public trust in government, including trigger context, social cognition, group structure, group efficacy, response recovery and mental energy, but they act in different ways. On this basis, we build a context-perception-action model of public trust evolution mechanism in relation to online collective behaviors. The conclusions are not only helpful for the government to maintain, restore and enhance its level of public trust, but also enlightening for governmental innovation and the establishment of a crisis management system.

Key words: online collective behavior, public trust in government, multi-case study