Abstract: This paper divides public trust into three levels:role trust, system trust and institution trust, and uses experimental methods to investigate the influence of scandal on different levels of public trust. The conclusions are as follows. (1) Government scandal will lead to the damage of role trust, system trust and institution trust. (2) Role trust plays a mediating role in the relationship between the government scandal and system trust. (3) The more similar role is, the more serious damage of role trust, system trust and institution trust would be caused by scandal; the more similar system is, the more serious damage of system trust and institution trust would be caused by scandal. (4) The stronger stability attribution is, the more easily scandals will damage role trust and system trust; the stronger externality attribution is, the more easily scandals will damage system trust and institutional trust. (5) Role similarity positively regulates the effect of interaction terms of stability attribution and scandal on public trust damage; (6) Role trust plays a mediating role in the relationship between interaction terms of stability attribution and scandal and system trust, and the relation between interaction terms of external attribution and scandal and the institution trust. These conclusions can promote the theoretical dialogue between public trust and public crisis, and bring inspiration to the relevant government practices.

Key words: scandal, public trust, contagion mechanism, trust crisis