Trust in Government: Assessing the Impact of Exposure to Information in a Local Context

While it remains a complex and diffuse notion, trust is highly valued by public authorities. Due to their proximity with citizens and their central role in service delivery, local governments often aim at establishing a relation of trust with the population. Several mechanisms have been conceived to improve the current situation, mainly involving "good governance" rhetoric. In this sense, transparency and accountability are often regarded as essential tools for increasing citizen trust and encouraging greater participation in decision-making. This article focuses on the effects of government openness from a citizen perspective. It calls for a subtle yet important distinction between exposure to information and perceived transparency: the results presented in this study indicate that perceptions play a significant role in shaping the relationship between the governed and public bodies. Our data especially show that individuals who value information accessibility are more likely to trust their local authorities.