ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1557786
How Risk Communication Affects Public Trust in Government: The Moderating Role of Policy Expectations
Provisionally accepted
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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Introduction: Conspiracy narratives are a prevalent narrative framework in risk communication, often provoking public fear and defensive reactions, challenging the healthy interaction between governments and the public in social governance.Method: Through two survey experiments, this study explores the effects of conspiracy narratives on public trust in government and the moderating role of policy expectations.Results: In Study 1 (N = 119), conspiracy narratives increased public perceptions of and concerns about the risks of genetically modified (GM) foods. As a result, the public was more likely to expect the government to adopt a strictly restrictive control policy on GM foods. Study 2 (N = 119) further reveals that public trust in the government increases when the public perceives the government as implementing a restrictive policy on GM foods. Conversely, public trust declines if the government is perceived to promote GM foods actively. Policy satisfaction plays a fully mediating role in this process.Discussion: The study reveals the influence mechanism of conspiracy narratives on government trust, offering both a theoretical basis and practical recommendations for effective government communication and the development of harmonious government-public relations.
Keywords: conspiracy narratives, Risk Perception, Risk Communication, Policy expectations, Government trust
Received: 11 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Zeng, Yin and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Weixi Zeng, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.