Dynamics of Public Trust in Government amid Information Disruption in Southeast Asia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62710/926hqc98Keywords:
Public Trust; Information Disruption; Disinformation; Government Communication; Digital Media LiteracyAbstract
Information disruption characterized by the acceleration of digital communication flows, the spread of misinformation and disinformation, and the fragmentation of online public spaces have affected the pattern of public trust in governments in Southeast Asia. This study aims to analyze the dynamics of public trust in the context of information disorder, paying attention to the role of institutional factors and the cognitive capacity of the community. The study used a mixed-methods approach by combining a quantitative survey of 720 adult respondents (≥18 years) recruited through stratified purposive sampling in three Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as in-depth interviews with 24 key informants consisting of government officials, journalists, academics, and civil society representatives. Regression analysis and differential testing showed that exposure to disinformation content was significantly negatively associated with the level of public trust in government institutions, particularly in the credibility aspect of policy communication. However, the results of the study also show that digital media literacy and perception of government transparency function as protective variables that can moderate the negative impact of information disruption. The qualitative findings confirm that the decline in public trust is not only triggered by the existence of false information, but also by weaknesses in government communication responses that are considered less responsive and participatory. This research makes a theoretical contribution to the understanding of public trust in the digital information ecosystem in Southeast Asia and offers policy implications in the form of strengthening public communication strategies, improving information literacy, and developing cross-sectoral collaborative mechanisms in the face of information disruption.
Downloads
References
Alami, A. N., Luong, D. N. A., Prihatini, E., Ramadhani, E., Go, J. R. R., Hafidzah, N., & Atiyah, U. (2022). Democratization in the digital era: Experience from Southeast Asia. Journal of ASEAN Studies, 10(2), 227–246.
Bhutto, F. (2024). Trust in public institutions: Causes of decline and ways to restore it. Research Consortium Archive, 2(3), 123–131.
Boly, A., & Gillanders, R. (2023). Corruption, institutional trust and legitimacy: A vicious circle. In The political economy of corruption (pp. 15–30). Routledge.
Curtis, H., Hogeveen, B., Kang, J., Le Thu, H., Rajagopalan, R. P., & Ray, T. (2022).
Digital Southeast Asia. Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Dawadi, S., Shrestha, S., & Giri, R. A. (2021). Mixed-methods research: A discussion on its types, challenges, and criticisms. Journal of Practical Studies in Education, 2(2), 25–36.
Gjerazi, B. (2024). Media literacy in the era of globalization: Innovative strategies for decoding information. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Development, 11(1 S1), 18.
Gu, E., Meng, T., Wang, H., & Zhang, A. (2023). E-government use, perceived transparency, public knowledge of government performance, and satisfaction with government: an analysis of mediating, moderating, and framing mechanisms based on the COVID-19 outbreak control survey data from China. Social Indicators Research, 169(1), 79–124.
Hafel, M. (2023). Digital transformation in politics and governance in Indonesia: Opportunities and challenges in the era of technological disruption. Society, 11(2), 742–757.
Haider, J., & Sundin, O. (2022). Paradoxes of media and information literacy: The crisis of information. Taylor & Francis.
Hameleers, M., Brosius, A., & de Vreese, C. H. (2022). Whom to trust? Media exposure patterns of citizens with perceptions of misinformation and disinformation related to the news media. European Journal of Communication, 37(3), 237–268.
Hosking, G. (2019). The decline of trust in government. In Trust in contemporary society (pp. 77–103). Brill.
Ilis, E. (2024). Exploring the Blurred Lines: A Review of “Truth Claims Across Media.” Władza Sądzenia, 26, 105–108.
Jaques, C., Islar, M., & Lord, G. (2019). Post-truth: Hegemony on social media and implications for sustainability communication. Sustainability, 11(7), 2120.
Kim, N. C. (2020). A pathway to emergent social complexity and state power: A view from Southeast Asia. In The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 225–253). Springer.
Kozyreva, A., Lewandowsky, S., & Hertwig, R. (2020). Citizens versus the internet: Confronting digital challenges with cognitive tools. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 21(3), 103–156.
Lee, K., Wong, C.-Y., Intarakumnerd, P., & Limapornvanich, C. (2020). Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution a window of opportunity for upgrading or reinforcing the middle-income trap? Asian model of development in Southeast Asia. Journal of Economic Policy Reform, 23(4), 408–425.
Lewis, A. C., Perry, M. D., Cadigan, M. E., & Steinhoff, J. C. (2023). Restoring Public Trust in Government. The Journal of Government Financial Management, 72(2), 32–38.
Lovari, A., & Valentini, C. (2020). Public sector communication and social media: Opportunities and limits of current policies, activities, and practices. The Handbook of Public Sector Communication, 315–328.
Modise, J. M., & Modise, P. S. (2023). Improved public trust, integrity and good governance with respect to corruption. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 8(3), 2573–2583.
Norris, P. (2022). Trust in government redux: the role of information environments and cognitive skills.
Rodríguez‐Pérez, C., & García‐Vargas, G. R. (2021). Understanding which factors promote exposure to online disinformation. Politics of Disinformation: The Influence of Fake News on the Public Sphere, 173–186.
Sevignani, S. (2022). Digital transformations and the ideological formation of the public sphere: Hegemonic, populist, or popular communication? Theory, Culture & Society, 39(4), 91–109.
Sinpeng, A. (2020). Digital media, political authoritarianism, and Internet controls in Southeast Asia. Media, Culture & Society, 42(1), 25–39.
Toyon, M. A. S. (2021). Explanatory sequential design of mixed methods research: Phases and challenges. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 10(5), 253–260.
You, Y., Ma, D., & Chen, C. (2024). Public trust during a public health crisis: Evaluating the immediate effects of the pandemic on institutional trust. Journal of Chinese Political Science, 29(1), 1–29.
Youvan, D. C. (2024). Trusting the Public: Rethinking Information Autonomy in the Digital Age.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yunaz Farada Yoga, R. Abdul Haris (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
