Is Trust a Realistic Goal of Environmental Risk Communication?

Environmental risk communication often fails in its efforts to overcome prevalent public distrust of government and industrial agencies. But, is achieving trust a realistic goal? The authors begin by reexamining definitions of the terms trust and credibility and summarizing recent assessments of the role trust plays in risk communication. On the basis of research conducted among people living near major nuclear power and hazardous waste storage facilities in rural South Carolina, they address whether trust, defined as uncritical emotional acceptance, is necessary for adequate risk communication. The authors propose that strategies of risk communication should focus not on building trust but on establishing procedures and standards that the public understands and accepts.