ABSTRACT

This article draws on cultural theory of risk to explore public perceptions of trust in groups that provide information about water in the Reno-Sparks region of northern Nevada, USA. We survey 474 respondents, and using mixed-methods analysis, critically examine perceptions of trust in 12 sources to provide accurate information about water resources. Factor analysis reveals that respondents shared similar values of trust in several sources, which we categorize as: elected local officials, ancillary safeguards, local water and sanitation utilities, and supplemental sources. We then explored subregional variation in trust and local context, gleaned from open-ended responses. In conclusion, we find in the Reno-Sparks region as a whole there is general mistrust in elected local officials, however these perceptions are complicated by local context with some subregions more trusting than others.

摘要

本文利用风险的文化理论来探讨公众对提供美国内华达州北部 Reno-Sparks 地区水资源信息的群体的信任感。我们调查了 474 名受访者，并使用混合方法分析，批判性地检查了对 12 个来源的信任感，以提供有关水资源的准确信息。因素分析显示，受访者在多个来源中拥有相似的信任价值观，我们将其归类为：民选地方官员、辅助保障措施、当地供水和卫生设施以及补充来源。然后，我们从开放式回答中收集了信任和当地环境的次区域差异。In conclusion, we find in the Reno-Sparks region as a whole there is general mistrust in elected local officials,