The Structure of Trust

A Survey and Analysis o

of the Media
YOKOYAMA Shigeru and YO
Popular trust in the ma
fields. Some researcher
by the media, diversity
and background in which
"sugar-coated" journali
Internet relativized th
newspapers, television,
ment in May 2000 of the
mation and the passage
well as recent consider
the sociopolitical envi
demanding. Behind recen
the media lies widespre
popular trust and distr
to freedom of speech an
Until now, however, the
popular trust in the ma
editor, and exemplar vi
field, but as for natio
sampling method, few ca
Japan Newspaper Publish
newspaper companies.2 A
1 Hara Toshio, Tajima Y
News Reporting on Terro
jiyu wa garasu no shiro
Keiichi, "Media ni yoru
in Jurist (no. 1196); e
2 Yomiuri newspaper's p
sesshoku hyoka chosa" [
Newspaper Publishers an
themes such as the ques
To better identify what
mass media, our project
Institute conducted an
some analysis of our su
media hinges on and how
SURVEY OUTLINE AND RESU
What follows is an outl
1. Date of survey Novem
2. Survey method Face-t
3. Survey target Citize
4. Survey sample Strati
1,800 (12150 location
5. No. of respondents 1
(response rate)
From among survey findi
"degree of trust in the
responses to questions
trust, and some basic a
here using mainly the r
Trust in Relation to Re
First, we will give a g
level of people's trust
pers, television, magaz
Twelve percent of respo
general and 70 percent
percent who trust the m
ever, in the attributes
combined cross-tabulati
More people of older ag
than in urban, and more
mass media in general.
those in their thirties
education. Thus, the di
dents were readily appa
Moreover, in views and
Figure 1. Degree of Trust in
Figure 2. Attributes of "Trus
Age group
20-19 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69
Trust 3 5 9 13 15 23
Tend to trust 76 78 77 70 64
see below. Although these two
dents that trusts the mass me
between the two that suggest
Differences in "most trusted
Next, let us look at the resu
selected by respondents as th
penings in the world was, in
newspapers (36 percent), and
Here, too, we see a great dif
respondents' attributes (fig.
As with those who said they "
respondents who listed NHK as
age brackets, lived in rural
Figure 3.Most Truste
Figure 4.Base Attrib
Age group
20-19 30-39 40-49 50
Newspapers 32 42 43
Commercial broadcast
NHK 30 29 38 49 53 6
other hand, as with
newspapers the most
their thirties and f
tion. Those who "tru
respondents) showed
newspaper faction, w
prominent characteri
few university gradu
In this way, people'
ed mass medium both
tion to attributes,
people's trust in th
discussion that foll
Components of Trust
It is natural to ima
tional content and b
trust in the mass me
Evaluation of inform
First, we will exami
informational conten
in the media in gene
This survey asked pa
angles:
1. Does the media, o
2. Does the media, o
the world?
3. Does the media co
4. Does the media pr
As shown in figure 5
evaluation of each f
media were invariabl
centage (23 percent)
veys the truth were
percentage (18 perce
dents. For each of t
who agreed were "tru
distrust" respondent
has some correlation
Evaluation of newsga
In recent years, the
mass media have been
such as media scrums
site of a newsworthy
have been criticized
Our survey results s
and their evaluation
the mass media.
Figure 5. Evaluation of the M
Degree of Trust in the Mass M
Respondents who gave a positi
and broadcasting policy of th
trust in the mass media, whil
toward a lower degree of trus
selected from a total of thir
broadcasting policy of the ma
agreed that when an incident
unfolds, causing an annoyance
izing for the sake of sales a
into account inconvenience to
Figure 6. Evaluation of Ne
Relation to Degree of Trus
media accounted for a larg
propositions.
Degree of satisfaction wit
Degree of trust is also cl
media in general. The resu
higher the degree of respo
trust in the media.
As shown in figure 7, a hi
fied" people trust the mas
percent) of respondents wh
mass media.3
There is a similar relatio
3"Completely unsatisfied"
ter (15 people).
Figure 7. Degree of Sati
in the Mass Media
Figure 8.1. Degree of Sa
Mass Medium
with individual media an
results tend to show tha
medium, the higher the p
their most trusted.
A high percentage (52 pe
with newspapers, and a l
fied," listed newspapers
same trend can be seen i
Figure 8.2.Degree of Satisf
Figure 8.3. Degree of Satis
Most Trusted Medium
broadcasters, however, the
who listed commercial broad
cent), while slightly highe
was less than in the case o
papers and NHK, degree of s
in the case of commercial b
ly tied to degree of trust.
mercial broadcasters but do
Usefulness
People's evaluation
ly show a correspond
point, the survey da
mining people's most
most useful.
Figure 9 shows cross
trusted medium" by a
queried on a total o
"hobbies and enterta
two of these here: "
A high percentage (6
useful mass medium f
newspapers as their
information, a high
most useful medium a
The same tendency wa
This pattern did not
Of those who listed
finding out about po
broadcasters as the
NHK or newspapers, r
As with degree of sa
between usefulness a
came to commercial b
strong. As in the ca
people watch commerc
trusted mass medium.
ple's degree of trus
point we will consid
Information behavior
Are people more like
on a daily basis tha
ly to place their tr
When we examined res
relation to their de
people who use a wid
tend to have a lower
Figure 9.1. Most Useful Media for F
Relation to Most Trusted Medium
Figure 9.2. Most Useful Medium for
to Most Trusted Medium
Figure 10.1 is the cross tabulation
ing" and "degree of trust." Among p
the percentage who "trust" the mass
who "tend to distrust" the mass med
who read magazines once or twice pe
distrust" the media was lower and r
"trust" the media (13 percent).
Figure 10.1. Frequency of M
Media in General
Figure 10.2. Degree of Trus
of the Internet
Comparing Internet users an
higher percentage of non-us
On the other hand, a high p
general tend to make use of
genre for both "trust" and
4 An "Internet user" is def
month, regardless of whethe
receiving of e-mail. A "Non
not at all.
Figure 11. Medi
1. Respondents
(%)
Weather informa
First NHK 16 NH
Second Commerci
Third Newspaper
2. Respondents
Weather informa
First Commercia
Second Newspape
Third NHK 66 NH
who "trust" the
social affairs,
the other hand,
media in genera
percentage of t
find out about
In this way, a
behavior is com
say they "trust
people with mor
mercial broadca
trust" the mass
Media Traits an
As we have seen
a certain signi
"evaluation of
isfaction," "us
ever, the resul
and usefulness
when one value
Figure 12. Most Useful Med
examination which takes in
this issue, we would like
criterion of "usefulness"
Differences in "most usefu
First, it should be noted
by genre of information so
Because this question only
mass medium for each area
a comparative ranking. Out
mercial broadcasters are l
Figure 13. "Commercial B
and Information Area
Tallying the percentages
cumulative "most useful
casters in first with 34
papers in third with 137
media in Japan. The cumu
magazines (28 percent),
percent) are far lower t
called the subsidiary ma
Differences in "most use
It is necessary to call
useful mass medium" and
of information according
attributes. To give an e
casters and a higher per
casters as their most us
Figure 14. Most Useful
(Respondents Who Listed
shows the number of peo
ers are the most useful
areas all but "sports,"
my" registered a signif
regarded commercial bro
Complex relationship be
Reflecting these circum
degree of trust is rath
ful mass medium in the
medium (fig. 14), for e
their most trusted mass
mercial broadcasters we
percent named NHK as su
dents who "trust" NHK t
broadcasters are the mo
those who listed newspa
that commercial broadca
sports.
Returning to figure 3,
NHK first (45 percent),
broadcasters third (11
commercial broadcasting
weather information are
respondents' most trust
Figure 15. Most Trusted
(responses of those who
medium for finding out
first (38 percent), NHK
in third (24 percent) (
We take these results t
trustworthiness that ca
eral or individual medi
ic, and social characte
information. Likewise t
access to certain media
tage. Trust in the medi
the so-called informati
people's sense of trust
DISCUSSION AND SOME TOP
Based on the results ab
and discuss topics for
"Critical Trust" and Me
Several surveys carried
ations, those with high
gray-collar workers are
other strata and use th
rent survey has clarifi
to trust" the mass medi
mass media is n
they hold a hig
expect of the m
Explicating mor
segment of peop
At the same tim
is related to t
media accountab
foster a critic
"critical" does
signify an accu
use of them whi
The issue of me
thinking about
Focus on Daily
The results of
that constitute
plex structure,
bility of infor
broadcasting po
First, although
eral people gra
isfactory" by w
is linked to th
be a need to gr
media exposure
Second, it is n
5 The survey re
strong tendency
strong urge for
Yokoyama Shiger
Criticism of th
6 Many observer
the media, to s
freedom of expr
accountability
diverse efforts
stitutes the so
threat of indus
Accountability
media and its users.
although television d
work for that awarene
nomical context that
media nor the users c
and economic factors.
Third, as for the flo
are two kinds: the di
indirect flow that de
some opinion leaders.
current state, the ef
extend to almost all
azines, advertisement
and so on.8
Fourth, to touch on y
receivers of the medi
Humanity itself is fo
with the times. As Ma
like unto them."9 Whi
Gutenberg created a n
printed media, televi
audience with large a
ing generations of pe
ence rather than to d
The various issues su
have to be considered
well as the larger po
changes not only in t
receivers themselves.
7 Representative work
Silverstone, Roger, W
8 Fiske, John, Televi
In this work, Fiske d
him, realism is presc
duce reality, but it
a form that is easily
9 McLuhan, Marshall,
45.
Multi-level Measuring o
As we noted at the begi
ing with degree of trus
been accumulated, such
more trustworthy, stops
analysis of our recent
hardly any specific med
mation. With the advent
are no longer relying c
place their trust less
find out about differen
medium's trustworthines
It will be necessary to
situation in greater de
vey employed a question
one "most used medium"
media use could probabl
a multiple response for
Newspapers and televisi
information acquired fr
Internet, can have a si
essary to examine the i
specific sublevels, and
tial. Furthermore, one
will be to clarify the
mass media in the first
(Translated by Luke Mor