Citizens’ Use of Social Media in Government, Perceived Transparency, and Trust in Government

:Governments are adopting social media to provide complementary information dissemination, communication, and participation channels whereby citizens can access government and government officials and make informed decisions. Using 2009 national e-government survey data from the Pew Research Center, this study finds (1) that use of government social media is significantly and positively associated with perceptions of government transparency, (2) that perceptions of government transparency are positively and significantly related to trust in government, and (3) that perceptions of government transparency mediate the relationship between use of government social media and trust in government. These findings demonstrate that social media is an effective means for government to improve citizens’ trust in government by enhancing their perceptions of government transparency. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence of the mediating role of perceived government transparency in linking the use of e-government to trust in government.