Understanding Public Confidence in Government to Prevent Terrorist Attacks

Public Trust in Government in China and South Korea: Implications for Building Community Resilience

“…Related to the risk management process, scholars have highlighted that the level of confidence in the source of messages could be positively associated with the effectiveness of preparation, response, and recovery (Drabek, 1986;Lindell & Perry, 1992;Mileti & Sorensen, 1990). Baldwin et al (2008) further report that the level of public confidence in the credibility of government sources may also affect the level of public compliance with government instructions in the context of terrorist attacks. Slovic (1993) contends that the distrust between the public, industry, and risk management professionals has influence on the contentiousness that has been observed in the risk management arena and thereby limits the effectiveness of risk-communication efforts.…”

Terrorism Online

“…Such threats are designed to cause fear and anxiety in the target population by reminding them that they are vulnerable to attack and can experience the horror of terrorism at any moment. They also seek to erode public confidence in governments' ability to keep them safe from acts of terrorism (Baldwin, Ramaprasad and Samsa, 2008). In addition, such threats hold the possibility of being taken seriously by the intelligence and law enforcement community, effectively tying up investigative resources and providing every-day city commuters with the sight of a fortified police presence on their city's streets.…”

The Effect of Terrorism on Public Confidence: An Exploratory Study

“…Following work by Baldwin, Ramaprasad, and Samsa (2008), Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) researchers conducted a series of focus groups with members of the general public in order to further understand how terrorist events affect the public's confidence in government and law enforcement to prevent such acts. Seventy-nine (79) members of the general public participated in 10 focus-group sessions, three of which occurred in September and October of 2007 and seven in January and February of 2008.…”