THE DETERMINANTS OF TRUST AND CREDIBILITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL RISK COMMUNICATION - AN EMPIRICAL-STUDY

This study examines a key component of environmental risk communicatio n; trust and credibility. The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, six hypotheses regarding the perceptions and determinants of trust and credibility were tested against survey data. The hypothe ses were supported by the data. The most important hypothesis was that perceptions of trust and credibility are dependent on three factors: perceptions of knowledge and expertise; perceptions of openness and ho nesty; and perceptions of concern and care. In the second part, models were constructed with perceptions of trust and credibility as the dep endent variable. The goal was to examine the data for findings with di rect policy implications. One such finding was that defying a negative stereotype is key to improving perceptions of trust and credibility.