Institutional Trust Matters: Revisiting the ELM in the Context of Risk Communication in China

• Other Authors: Huang, Qing (author.)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; Chinese
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/en/item/cuhk-1292420

本研究通過在中國的風險溝通情境中重新定義「推敲可能性模型」，以探究「機構信任」在訊息解讀中的關鍵作用。其中，對「推敲可能性模型」的核心概念作了情景化的再定義：「自我相關性」被特殊化為「後果可怕性的自我相關」，「信源可信性」被替換成「機構信任」。並且，「機構信任」由兩個維度組成：其一，機構類型（表明民眾對風險管理者的社會角色期望）；其二，可信性（表明民眾對風險管理者角色扮演的評價）。此外，「訊息特徵」被具體化為「風險溝通策略」，包括「抗拒」策略和「順應」策略。而訊息接受者在解讀訊息後的態度則表現為其對風險管理者的「關係滿意」與「關係承諾」程度。 === 近年來頻繁發生於中國大陸的空氣污染是現代社會發展中一個典型的風險案例，其影響的大範圍性和嚴重性凸顯了風險管理的重要性，而有效的風險溝通則是其管理的基礎。因此，本研究以中國大陸的空氣污染為案例，進行相關的研究設計。藉助問卷星的樣本服務，共有1257人參與了線上問卷實驗。通過統計分析，得到以下研究發現： === 首先，風險管理者的「可信性」是訊息接受者感知到的「後果可怕性的自我相關」與「推敲程度」之間的中介變量。換言之，如果訊息接受者認為風險對自己的影響和後果越可怕，那麼他們對風險管理者可信性的評價就會越差，結果反而增強他們對來自風險管理者的訊息的審讀。 === 其次，「機構類型」調節上述中介效果。以地方政府為例，訊息接受者對風險管理者的社會角色期望較高，他們感知到的風險後果對自身影響的可怕性會明顯降低他們對風險管理者可信性的評價，因而顯著增強他們對來自風險管理者的訊息的審讀。以科研機構為例，訊息接受者對風險管理者的社會角色期望較低，他們感知到的風險後果對自身影響的可怕性則會稍微削弱他們對風險管理者可信性的評價，並以較低的程度提升他們對來自風險管理者的訊息的審讀。 === 最後，訊息接受者的「推敲程度」調節「風險溝通策略」對「風險管理者﹣訊息接收者關係」的效果。當訊息接受者的「推敲程度」較高時，風險管理者的「抗拒」策略會明顯削弱訊息接受者對他們之間的關係的「滿意」和「承諾」程度，而「順應」策略則會大幅度增強訊息接受者對關係的「滿意」和「承諾」程度。對比之下，當訊息接受者的「推敲程度」較低時，風險管理者的「抗拒」策略會輕微削弱訊息接受者對關係的「滿意」和「承諾」程度，而「順應」策略只能小幅度改善訊息接受者對風險管理者的「滿意」和「承諾」程度。 === 本研究基於中國的風險溝通情境凸顯「機構信任」在訊息解讀過程中的關鍵性，對「推敲可能性模型」的理論發展具有以下啟示：1）風險管理者的「可信性」直接影響訊息解讀的「中心路徑」，挑戰「信源可信性」在現有研究中作為「邊緣路徑」或「中心路徑」的線索；2）風險管理者的「可信性」和訊息解讀者的「後果可怕性的自我相關」在引發「中心路徑」時都發揮十分重要的作用，以此挑戰前人得出的結論，即「自我相關性」是決定「中心路徑」發生與否的首要因素，而「信源可信性」對此並無影響；3）風險管理者的「可信性」對「推敲程度」呈現負面 === This study aims to explore the salience of institutional trust in people’s information processing in risk communication in China by revisiting the elaboration likelihood model (ELM). Key concepts of the ELM are contextualized and redefined. Firstly, self-relevance and source credibility are reconceptualized as self-relevance regarding perceived dread and institutional trust. Specifically, institutional trust consists of institutional type (people’s role expectations of risk management actors) and perceived trustworthiness (people’ s judgments of risk management actors’ role performances). Besides, message characteristics are contextualized as defensive/accommodative risk communication strategy, while post-communication outcome is manifested by recipients’ satisfaction with and commitment to the relationship with risk management actors. === The air pollution in China is used as a typical large-scale risk with manifested consequences for testing relevant hypotheses. Participants randomly recruited from the paid sampling service of Sojump took part in an online survey experiment (N = 1257). === Firstly, perceived trustworthiness was found to partially mediate the relationship between self-relevance regarding perceived dread and level of elaboration. It indicated that the more dreadful individuals perceived the consequence of a risk on them, the more untrustworthy they judged risk management actors, which in turn increased the extent to which they elaborated the message from these actors. === Secondly, institutional type moderated the mediating effect. It suggested that when people highly expected a risk management actor to perform a normative role (i.e., the local government), their perceptions of the dreadful consequence on themselves sharply worsened the actor’s perceived trustworthiness, which in turn considerably increased the extent to which they scrutinized the message from the actor. However, when people held relatively low expectations of a risk management actor performing the normative role (i.e., research institutes), their recognitions of the dreadful consequence on themselves slightly decreased the actor’s perceived trustworthiness, which in turn facilitated recipients’ message elaboration to a small degree. === Thirdly, the effect of a risk management actor’s risk communication strategy on its relationship with recipients depended on recipients’ level of elaboration. When recipients’ level of elaboration was high, a risk management actor’s defensive strategy sharply impaired recipients’ satisfaction with and commitment to the relationship with the actor, whereas an accommodative strategy largely improved relational satisfaction and commitment. In comparison, when recipients’ level of elaboration was low, the difference in recipients’ satisfaction with or commitment to a risk management actor resulted from elaborating its defensive strategy and an accommodative one was less salient. === This study contributes to the development of the ELM by stressing the prominent role of institutional trust in individuals’ information processing in risk communication in China: 1) perceived trustworthiness directly affects the occurrence of the cent === Huang, Qing. === Thesis Ph.D. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2016. === Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). === Abstracts also in Chinese. === Title from PDF title page (viewed on …). === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only.