Perceptions of food safety, access to information, and political trust in China

Abstract Food safety is a major concern among the Chinese public, with far-reaching political implications. In this study, we developed a theoretical framework to examine the effects of food safety problems on diffuse and specific political trust from the perspective of information in an authoritarian censorship context. Using the latest national survey data, we established an interactive process between the government, information environment, and Chinese public. Our results showed that exposure to Internet and information obtained via the grapevine were positively correlated with public concern about food safety, while information obtained via the mass media did not have a significant effect. A similar pattern emerged for the effects of access to different information sources on trust in the political system and central government. Political trust in the central government in China appeared to be pseudo diffuse trust. Our findings indicate that the complex information environment in authoritarian China affects public perceptions of food safety problems and multilevel political trust.