Water Utility Communications Can Build Trust During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract

In April 2020, AWWA hosted a webinar on how utilities can be a trusted source of information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a communications plan and using a spokesperson, water utilities should focus on simple messages that use basic terminology. Utilities should express empathy, focus on facts, and be transparent to build and reinforce public trust during a crisis.

Policies for Enhancing Public Trust and Avoiding Distrust in Digital Government During Pandemics: Insights from a Systematic Literature Review

“…Citizens' past experiences in health care connect health-related factors and political ones that both health care professionals and government authorities need to pay attention to regaining people's trust during pandemics (Freimuth et al, 2014). The second most frequent health-related factor (5) in the SLR is "public health messages" referring to tailoring all health messages in an appropriate tone for all relevant audiences Policies for Enhancing Public Trust and Avoiding Distrust in Digital Government… (Retzlaff, 2020) so that people would be provided clear and consistent messages and not seek alternative sources for information (Nutbeam, 2020).…”

“…Six papers find "shared interests/values" and "responsiveness" (prioritizing public values and experiences; considering their legitimate concerns) as necessary to improve trust-based interaction between citizens and public authorities during crises (Silva et al, 2012;Chathukulam & Tharamangalam, 2020). "Public spokespersons" are mentioned as a variable in five papers that variety in assigned spokespersons (Siegrist & Zingg, 2014) or reliability of officials (Retzlaff, 2020) increases its importance in managing pandemics. Four papers emphasize "collaboration" among stakeholders, especially with the community (Chapple, 2020).…”