Research On The Effects Of Trust In Government On Public Acceptance Of Nuclear Energy

As the global warming goes seriously,formulating efficient energy policies is one of important task for governments.Because of the advantages of nuclear energy,such as "low carbon and high efficiency",the Chinese government adopts nuclear energy as a priority strategy in energy policy.However,the destructive consequences of nuclear accidents decreased public acceptance of nuclear energy,and restricting the smooth implementation of nuclear energy policy.Trust in government is crucial in risk management,and it is an important heuristic for the public to judge the risk technologies.Therefore,it deserves a deep investigation in the mechanism of trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy and explore how to enhance trust in government.The effects of trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy has drawn much attention from scholars.However,empirical results on the relationship between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy are inconclusive,with some results reporting positive effects and others revealing negative effects.Ignorance of potential boundary conditions and the types of trust in government may account for these conflicting results.In addition,although the literature recognized the important role of trust government in public acceptance of nuclear energy,there is still insufficient research on how to improve trust in government.In summary,this study will focus on the following three issues:First,do boundary conditions,such as collectivism and individualism(both horizontal and vertical dementions),influence the relationship between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy?Second,does the types of trust in government(i.e.competence-based and integrity-based trust),affect the public acceptance of nuclear energy?Do perceptions of nuclear energy(i.e.risk and benefit perception)and emotions of nuclear energy(i.e.positive and negative emotion)mediate the relationship between two types of trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy?Third,can individuals'motivational factor,such as perspective taking,influence the two types of trust in government?Do cultural values,such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance,moderate the effect of perspective taking?This study will solve the above problems through three sub-studies.The first sub-study aims to explore the boundary conditions in the effect of trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy.Based on heuristic theory,this sub-study explores whether the horizontal and vertical dimensions of collectivism and individualism moderate the effect of trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy.By conducting hierarchical multiple regression analysis,the conclusions are as follows:(1)trust in government positively influence public acceptance of nuclear energy;(2)both horizontal individualism and vertical individualism negatively moderate the positive relationship between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy;(3)horizontal collectivism and vertical collectivism negatively moderate the positive relationship between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy.The second sub-study is the influencing mechanism of competence-based trust in government and integrity-based trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy.Based on the theory of cognitive-affective processing system theory,the second sub-study specifies the relatonships between two types of turst in government(i.e.competence-based and integrity-based)and public acceptance of nuclear energy,along with the mediating effects of two perceptions of nuclear energy(i.e.risk and benefit)and two emotions of nuclear energy(i.e.positive and negative).By conducting the hierarchical multiple regression analysis and bootstrapping test,the conclusions are as follows:(1)both competence-based and integrity-based trust in government have a positive impact on public acceptance of nuclear energy;(2)benefit perceptions mediates the effect of two types of trust in government on public acceptance of nuclear energy;(3)risk perceptions mediates the relationship between competence-based trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy,while the mediating effects is insiginificant in the relationship between intergrity-based trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy;(4)positive emotions mediate the relationship between the two types of government and public acceptance of nuclear energy;(5)negative emotions mediate the relationship between the two types of trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy.The third sub-study is the formation mechanism of trust in government.In light of the motivational information processing theory,this paper discusses the effect of perspective taking on two types of trust in government,along with the moderating effects of power distance and uncertainty avoidance.By conducting the hierarchical multiple regression analysis,our results indicate:(1)perspective taking is positively related two types of trust in government;(2)power distance strengthens the relationship between perspective taking and two types of trust in government;(3)uncertainty avoidance weakens the relationship between perspective taking and two types of trust in government.Several theoretical contributions are provided in this study as follows:(1)by introducing the horizontal and vertical dimensions of collectivism-individualism as moderating variables,we deepen the understanding of the boundary conditions between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy,as well as providing possible explanations for the inconsistent findids on the relationship liking trust in government and public acceptance;(2)by focusing on the two types of trust in government(i.e.competence-based and intergrity-based trust in government),we strengthen our understading of the effect of trust in government on public acceptance;(3)by considering the mediating role of two types of perceptions of nuclear energy(i.e.risk and benefit)and two types of emotions of nuclear energy(i.e.positive and negative)in the two types of trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy,we deepen the understanding of the mediating mechanism between trust in government and public acceptance of nuclear energy;(4)by exploring the main effects of perspective taking along with moderating effects of power distance and uncertainty avoidence on two types of trust in government,our findings expand the understanding of the formation mechanism of trust in government.This study also provides several management implications for policy makers and risk managers as follows.First,the government should enhance public trust from the perspective of governance competence and integrity,thereby contributing to public acceptance of nuclear energy.Second,improving publicity of nuclear energy and ensuring availability and accuracy of information are important.Besides emphasizing the benefits of nuclear energy,introducing the potential risks of nuclear energy in a scientific and popular way is also important.Moreover,it is necessary to induce positive emotion and reduce negative emotion by efficient ways such as increasing contact between public and nuclear power plant.Third,in view of the positive role of perspective taking,the government should guide the public to think form the government's perspective,so as to enhance the public's understanding of the government.Fourth,while promoting cultural values,the government should also respect individual's value orientation.