How Budget Transparency Affects Public Trust in Government: A Comprehensive Analysis

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the influence of e-government public services on public trust at the local government level, addressing the pressing need to understand the factors shaping citizen perceptions and trust in government institutions. Background: With the proliferation of e-government initiatives worldwide, governments are increasingly turning to digital solutions to enhance public service delivery and promote transparency. However, despite the potential benefits, there remains a gap in understanding how these initiatives impact public trust in government institutions, particularly at the local level. This study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between e-government service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust, providing valuable insights into the complexities of citizen-government interactions in the digital age. Methodology: Employing a quantitative approach, this study utilises surveys distributed to users of e-government services in one of the regencies in Indonesia. The sample consists of 278 individuals. Data analysis is conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling, allowing for the exploration of relationships among variables and their influence on public trust. Contribution: This study provides insights into the factors influencing public trust in e-government services at the local government level, offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between service quality, individual perceptions, and public trust. Findings: This study emphasises information quality and service quality in e-government-based public services as crucial determinants of individual perception in rural areas. Interestingly, system quality in e-government services has no influence on individual perception. In the individual perception, perceived security and privacy emerge as the strongest antecedent of public trust, highlighting the need to guarantee secure and private services for citizens in rural areas. These findings emphasise the importance of prioritising high-quality information, excellent service delivery, and robust security measures to foster and sustain public trust in e-government services. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners must prioritise enhancing the quality of e-government services due to their significant impact on individual perception, leading to higher public trust. Government agencies must ensure reliability, responsiveness, and the effective fulfilment of user needs. Additionally, upholding high standards of information quality in e-government services by delivering accurate, relevant, and timely information remains crucial. Strengthening security measures through robust protocols such as data encryption and secure authentication becomes essential for protecting user data. With that in mind, the authors believe that public trust in government would escalate. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could investigate the relation between system quality in e-government services and individual perception in different rural settings. Longitudinal studies could also elucidate how evolving service quality, information quality, and security measures impact user satisfaction and trust over time. Comparative studies across regions or countries can reveal cultural and contextual differences in individual perceptions, identifying both universal principles and region-specific strategies for e-government platforms. Analysing user behaviour and preferences across various demographic groups can inform targeted interventions. Furthermore, examining the potential of emerging technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence in enhancing e-government service delivery, security, and user engagement remains an interesting topic. Impact on Society: This study’s findings have significant implications for fostering public trust in government institutions, ultimately strengthening democracy and citizen-government relations. By understanding how e-government initiatives influence public trust, policymakers can make informed decisions to improve service delivery, enhance citizen engagement, and promote transparency, thus contributing to more resilient and accountable governance structures. Future Research: Future research could opt for longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term effects of enhancements in service quality, information quality, and security. Cross-cultural investigations can uncover universal principles and contextual differences in user experiences, supporting global e-government strategies in rural areas. Future research could also improve the research model by adding more variables, such as risk aversion or fear of job loss, to gauge individual perceptions.

To control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), governments are increasingly relying on the public to voluntarily manage risk. Effectiveness is likely to rely in part on how much the public trusts the Government's response. We examined the English public's trust in the Conservative Government to control the spread of COVID-19 after the initial 'crisis' period. We analyzed eight rounds of a longitudinal survey of 1899 smartphone users aged 18-79 in England between October 2020 and December 2021. We fitted a random-effects logit model to identify personal characteristics and opinions associated with trust in the Conservative Government to control the spread of COVID-19. Trust was lowest in January 2021 (28%) and highest in March 2021 (44%). Being older, having lower educational attainment and aligning with the Conservative Party were predictors of higher levels of trust. Conversely, being less deprived, reporting that Government communications were not clear and considering that the measures taken by the Government went too far or not far enough were predictors of being less likely to report a great deal or a fair amount of trust in the Government to control the pandemic. Trust in the Government's response was found to be low throughout the study. Our findings suggest that there may be scope to avoid losing trust by aligning Government actions more closely with scientific advice and public opinion, and through clearer public health messaging. However, it remains unclear whether and how higher trust in the Government's response would increase compliance with Government advice.

To what extent do security threats – such as cyberattacks – undermine trust in government? Fears have emerged that cyberattacks undercut public trust in government and sow doubt in democratic institutions heavily dependent on digitised systems. Nevertheless, the logic of this threat remains untested. This article presents survey experiments conducted in the United States (n = 607), the United Kingdom (n = 594), and Israel (n = 627) that examine whether cyberattacks on critical infrastructure truly undermine public trust in government and, if so, by what psychological mechanism. We exposed participants to simulations of cyberattacks against critical infrastructure before measuring the psychological and political outcomes. Our results reveal that cyberattacks do not undermine voters’ trust in the government’s ability to protect them. Furthermore, in the United States, exposure to cyberattacks heightens public trust by amplifying anger. Our findings inject a missing comparative component to the theoretical discussion of when, why, and how cyberattacks affect public trust in government.

There is a dearth of research on why public trust in government rises and falls over time following online collective behaviours. For the problem of dynamic process and micro-macro evolution mechanism of this change in trust whenever it occurs over any specific campaign, in our research, a proposed social computing approach is employed to simulate the change of public trust in government on the basis of a heterogeneous network under three ideal network topologies including random network, scale-free network, and small world network. The results show the dynamics of a change in public trust of the government exhibited in online collective behaviour can be dependent on the interplay between the participants and event, where the former mainly occurs on a social network layer, and the latter on an information layer. This leads to a significantly integrated role between macro network driving effect and micro group convergence effect. Furthermore, several parameters have phase change phenomena in this process, while phase critical value and degree of impact vary from different network structures. The trigger contextual intensity is an important evolutionary power, and plays an integrated role in the evolution process of a shift in the public's trust of government.

In the United States, trust in government across the federal, state, and local levels has been on the decline for decades. With increasing polarization and politicization, the work of public administrators is frequently made more difficult by challenges that stem from low levels of public trust—responding to these challenges as well as recent calls that encourage public administrators to regain the trust of the public they serve. Could public service motivation (PSM) promote trust in government? We examine the association between PSM and trust in government across the federal, state, and local levels of government in the United States. We find that the association between PSM and governmental trust varies by level of government. At the state and local levels, PSM is positively associated with trust in government. However, we find no significant relationship between PSM and trust at the federal level. Thus, there exists the potential for state and local administrators to use PSM to build trust in the government and to facilitate improved policy implementation. Our findings also provide insight into how key predictors of public trust in government vary at the federal, state, and local levels of the U.S. government.

This research examines the political implications of community-police relations in the United States by exploring the link between race, perceptions of police performance, and trust in government. Relying on survey data, I examine these relationships for Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Whites. In addition to examining the broader relationship between community-police relations and institutional trust, this dissertation examines (1) how police perceptions influence individuals' comfort in contacting the police, (2) how police violence and police perceptions influence trust in government, and (3) the effectiveness of community-oriented policing in building community-police relations and increasing trust in government. First, I find that these relationships are conditional on race and ethnicity. Black respondents, who are more likely to experience negative interactions with the police and who are less likely to have positive perceptions of the police, are less comfortable contacting them. Second, while police violence does not have a significant effect on public trust in government, police perceptions and perceptions of discrimination do. Respondents that perceive the police to be performing well and who do not believe their own racial group is being discriminated against, are more likely to express trust in government. Finally, I find that community-oriented policing has the potential to both improve perceptions of the police and increase trust in government. The central goal of this dissertation is to highlight the role that community-police relations have in influencing American politics and to emphasize the importance of exploring potential solutions to declining trust in the police.

The occurrence of risky actions by the community and the inconsistencies of government policies regarding Covid-19 pandemic led to community non-compliance with the health protocols. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of unrealistic optimism bias and public trust to the government towards non-compliance behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was a quantitative study with data collection procedures using the survey method. The three questionnaires i.e. the unrealistic optimism bias, public trust in government, and non-compliance behavior, have been adopted from the previous studies and validated using CVI for the purpose of this study. There were 740 participants ranging between 18-25 years old. Stepwise regression analysis was conducted. The results showed that the unrealistic optimism bias and public trust to the government simultaneously contributed to non-compliance behavior in which the unrealistic optimism bias had the highest contribution to noncompliance behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study implies that the government and intervention agencies need to pay attention to the factors of cognitive biases by the individuals and public trust issues for improving the public adherence to the health protocols. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; non-compliance behavior; public trust in government; unrealistic optimism bias.

Among the most important factors that determine whether public health recommendations receive widespread adherence during pandemics is public trust in the information disseminated by governments, health care providers, and the media. However, there remains uncertainty pertaining to the role of public trust in the acceptance and maintenance of public health recommendations during outbreaks. This systematic review and thematic analysis examined 41 studies on previous pandemics, epidemics, and global outbreaks in the twenty-first century to identify the relationship between public trust in the government, health care providers, and the media, and the acceptance, uptake, and maintenance of health behaviours that contain the spread of infectious disease. We found inconsistency in public trust towards the government and the media across multiple countries, while trust in health care providers was generally reported to be high with a few exceptions. We identified several unintended outcomes of mistrust when communicating public health recommendations such as non-compliance with recommended health measures, seeking information from alternative sources, and vaccine hesitancy. We conclude this paper by discussing the importance of public trust in promoting compliance with public health recommendations and the uptake of protective behaviours, as well as the downstream implications of mistrust that may develop in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information disruption characterized by the acceleration of digital communication flows, the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and the fragmentation of online public spaces have affected the pattern of public trust in governments in Southeast Asia. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of public trust in the context of information disorder, paying attention to the role of institutional factors and the cognitive capacity of the community. The study used a mixed-methods approach by combining a quantitative survey of 720 adult respondents (≥18 years) recruited through stratified purposive sampling in three Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as in-depth interviews with 24 key informants consisting of government officials, journalists, academics, and civil society representatives. Regression analysis and differential testing showed that exposure to disinformation content was significantly negatively associated with the level of public trust in government institutions, particularly in the credibility aspect of policy communication. However, the results of the study also show that digital media literacy and perception of government transparency function as protective variables that can moderate the negative impact of information disruption. The qualitative findings confirm that the decline in public trust is not only triggered by the existence of false information, but also by weaknesses in government communication responses that are considered less responsive and participatory. This research makes a theoretical contribution to the understanding of public trust in the digital information ecosystem in Southeast Asia and offers policy implications in the form of strengthening public communication strategies, improving information literacy, and developing cross-sectoral collaborative mechanisms in the face of information disruption.

More trust in central government during the COVID-19 pandemic? Citizens’ emotional reactions, government performance, and trust in governments

The author of this article examines aspects of trust in government generally, and its relationship to trust in e-government. Trust in government has been seen to have positive effects across a number of factors, including economic performance, social cohesion, and the sum of welfare. A specification of different levels of trust in government is outlined. What is the relationship between trust in government and trust in e-government? While there seems to be a relationship between the use of technology and e-government and trust and comfort in its use, recent studies have questioned a simple link between use of e-government and trust in government, and trust in e-government and trust in government generally. Somewhat conflicted findings across studies, however, suggests further research is needed.

Nanotechnology has opened a new realm to science and technology whereby it has been developed and used in various applications with potentials to facilitate sustainable development. The applications of nanotechnology are beneficial in improving public health, enhancing the functionality and endurance of consumer products, and potentially preserving the environment; however, uncertain risks associated with nanomaterials need to be understood for a good governance of nanotechnology to ensure sustainable development of nanotechnology. Hence, public perceptions of nanotechnology are instrumental for good governance of nanotechnology to determine the acceptance and rejection of the public toward nanotechnology. In this chapter, the public benefit and risk perceptions of nanotechnology are deliberated based on a case study in Klang Valley, Malaysia, through psychological and sociological aspects. Psychologically, knowledge is not a factor affecting the benefit and risk perceptions. However, the public perceives nanotechnology to be more beneficial than risky. Public attitudes are positive for nanotechnology, giving people benefit perception and reducing risk perception of nanotechnology. Trust in government, industry, and researchers increases the public benefit perception on nanotechnology as they are the driving force of nanotechnology development. The government as the regulator of nanotechnology development affects risk perception when public trust in government declines. Therefore, the government needs to play a role in getting public trust, thereby enhancing the public benefit perception on nanotechnology. Sociologically, i.e., culture, religious belief, and social aspect influence the public benefit perception but not risk perception on nanotechnology. Policy and religion emphasizing science and technology as an economic driver for the well-being bring the culture in receiving both scientific and technological developments in general and nanotechnology in particular. Correspondingly, continuous research of nanotechnology will result in the social implication by ensuring equal distribution of nanotechnology benefit, and at the same time, its risk will be effectively managed.

Political Cynicism: Measurement and Meaning

This study develops a model for understanding the key contextual factors that will foster public trust in cryptocurrency and ultimately investment in it. Specifically, this study tests whether the regulatory factor of grievance redressal mechanism, the social factor of (mass)media influence and psychological factor of perceived integrity of crypto-asset merchants are essential to building public trust in cryptocurrencies and, in turn, willingness to invest. Primary data were collected to test the model using advanced regression analytics. We find that all the identified factors are positively associated with public trust that, in turn, positively predicts cryptocurrency investment intentions. Additional analysis reveals that trust plays an important mediating role. The originality and value of study lies in empirically providing evidence on the contextual and proximate antecedents of trust-building in cryptocurrency, which assists this digital currency ecosystem in designing strategies and interventions that should promote and sustain public interest and trust in the digital asset.

The decline of trust in government has been a critical issue in many parts of the world. Various surveys have indicated that the public cast suspicious eyes on their government and become less trustful of performance of their public sector. The OECD labels trust in government as a fundamental element of the democratic “contract”, while its decline may have significant impacts on government activities. Likewise, the UN also refers to trust as the foundation for good governance; therefore, improving trust would help strengthen sound governance in any polity. As these examples demonstrate, trust in government has increasingly become a central concern for government reformers. In Japan, for a long time, bureaucrats have been perceived to be trustful social agents and they have enjoyed more confidence than those of party members. However, a series of scandals involving high-ranking bureaucrats, in addition to several policy failures and severe financial difficulties, have deteriorated the trustful image of Japanese public officials. Confronted with the problem, both central and local governments in Japan have attempted to improve their public perceptions and tried to rebuild trust in government by resorting to various types of administrative reform. However, the identification of reasons for the decline of public trust in government appear an awesome task and hard to come. While some of the reforms could have contributed rebuilding trust, others have further eroded the level of government confidence. Against these backgrounds, the paper aims to show the current level of trust in government, specifically in Japan. It tries to assess government efforts of rebuilding trust by discussing different government reforms at both the central and the local levels.