The Internet, transparency, and government–public relationships in Seoul, South Korea

• Published in: Public relations review Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 500 - 502
• Main Author: Hong, Hyehyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Silver Spring Elsevier Inc 01.09.2014; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Citizen pride; Electronic government; Government and politics; Government public relations; Government–public relationship; Internet; Municipal government; Perceptions; Public opinion; Public relations; South Korea; Studies; The Internet; Transparency; South Korea; Seoul South Korea; Government–public relationship; Transparency; Citizen pride; The Internet; Government public relations
• ISSN: 0363-8111; 1873-4537
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.01.011

•The more people perceived the Internet as a source of government information, the greater government transparency they perceived.•The perceived transparency of government led to a stronger government–public relationship.•The perceived transparency of government mediated the influence of the Internet on citizen pride.•Citizen pride in government is a potentially valuable indicator of government–public relationships. This study aimed to examine the relationships among public perceptions of the Internet for government-related information, the transparency of city government, and perceived government–public relationships (indicated by one's city-oriented pride). The responses of 689 residents of Seoul, South Korea, were analyzed and the results indicated that individuals perceive greater transparency of city government when they consider the Internet as a useful source of government information, which leads to a more favorable relationship with the city government.