TY - JOUR
T1 - From concerned citizens to activists
T2 - a case study of 2015 South Korean MERS outbreak and the role of dialogic government communication and citizens’ emotions on public activism
AU - Kang, Minjeong
AU - Kim, Jangyul Robert
AU - Cha, Heewon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2018/11/2
Y1 - 2018/11/2
N2 - This study investigated the cognitive-affective-behavioral sequence of public activism by examining the role of citizens’ perception of government dialogic communication during a national pandemic crisis. Through a case study of the 2015 Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea, the results of a survey of 400 South Korean citizens showed that distrust in government and a high level of situational uncertainty were significantly mitigated by citizens’ perceptions of government efforts for dialogic communication during the crisis. Conversely, when the perception of dialogic government communication was low, high distrust in government increased cynicism, anger, and anxiety among citizens; high situational uncertainty led to higher levels of anger and anxiety, but not cynicism. Consequently, the findings showed that anger, anxiety, and cynicism significantly motivated citizens’ intentions to take actions against the government. Direct and positive effects of anger, anxiety, and cynicism on activism participation were not found and were mediated by the citizens’ activism intentions.
AB - This study investigated the cognitive-affective-behavioral sequence of public activism by examining the role of citizens’ perception of government dialogic communication during a national pandemic crisis. Through a case study of the 2015 Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea, the results of a survey of 400 South Korean citizens showed that distrust in government and a high level of situational uncertainty were significantly mitigated by citizens’ perceptions of government efforts for dialogic communication during the crisis. Conversely, when the perception of dialogic government communication was low, high distrust in government increased cynicism, anger, and anxiety among citizens; high situational uncertainty led to higher levels of anger and anxiety, but not cynicism. Consequently, the findings showed that anger, anxiety, and cynicism significantly motivated citizens’ intentions to take actions against the government. Direct and positive effects of anger, anxiety, and cynicism on activism participation were not found and were mediated by the citizens’ activism intentions.
KW - Activist publics
KW - and situational uncertainty
KW - anger
KW - anxiety
KW - cynicism
KW - dialogic government communication
KW - distrust in government
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85056120644&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1062726X.2018.1536980
DO - 10.1080/1062726X.2018.1536980
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85056120644
SN - 1062-726X
VL - 30
SP - 202
EP - 229
JO - Journal of Public Relations Research
JF - Journal of Public Relations Research
IS - 5-6
ER -