Bridging the Ideological Divide: A Three-Year Comparative Analysis of Public Trust Predictors Between the US and China

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Paper Session: Public Relations Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

To echo the importance of trust building in public relations research, this study explores the predictive role of political ideology and related variables in building public trust in business, government, and NGOs by using large-scale survey data from the top two countries based on GDP ranking, the U.S. and China. The time series comparison from 2011 to 2013 reveals different trust patterns at the country level. Aggregated regression analysis further identifies the shifting predictive power of political ideology and a host of other factors on public trust across several different organization types (e.g., business in general, government and NGOs). The authors explore implications for public relations theory and practice.

Authors

• Alan VanderMolen, Edelman

• Michael Cacciatore, U of Georgia

• Juan Meng, U of Georgia

• Bryan H. Reber, U of Georgia