The importance of public trust for Georgia DOT's Work Program at Open Houses

Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) mission to design, build and maintain state roads and bridges, provides numerous benefits to the state of Georgia. GDOT oversees other modes of transportation in addition to... [ view full abstract ]

Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) mission to design, build and maintain state roads and bridges, provides numerous benefits to the state of Georgia. GDOT oversees other modes of transportation in addition to roads and bridges including railroads, airports, rivers, and intercostal waterways. GDOT is attempting to make the public more aware of its mission to serve the state of Georgia. One method it uses to get the public involved is through hosting Public Meetings and Open Houses. The agency is actively attempting to increase the public meeting attendance through efforts which may enhance interest and better understanding or trust of GDOT’s work program. The proposed research focuses on determining citizens’ interest in participation to Public Meetings and Open Houses by investigating people’s overall public knowledge in GDOT and their level of trust toward the state organization.
According to past research, state governments and agencies are generally more trusted than the Federal government. In a 2013 poll by Pew Research Center, 57% of those polled indicated that they trusted their state government. Mass Communication scholars have determined that trust remains paramount overall in message acceptance (Cappella & Jamieson, 1997). When individuals understand what a government agency does, their tendency is to have more trust.
Cappella and Jamieson have studied people’s level of trust and level of knowledge for more than two decades, developing surveys to gauge individuals’ level of trust and knowledge in government organizations. For the proposed research, the authors have developed a survey instrument based on the work of Cappella and Jamieson that will help GDOT (1) understand the level of trust that individuals have in USDOT vs GDOT and (2) determine whether individuals understand the mission, the nature, and the benefits of GDOT itself, as well as the organization’s projects.
To this end, the authors administered a survey to people in the state of Georgia to understand their level of acceptance and knowledge of the GDOT and its work programs. The survey was developed in Qualtrics, an online survey tool, and sent to more than 2,500 individuals through email. A snowball sampling method was used to send the survey to students, faculty, and individuals within various organizations around the state. Survey participants were asked to take the survey and to forward the survey link to people they know in the state. The team offered an incentive to people taking the survey by offering four $50 gift cards, winners being randomly selected. The survey design consisted of 4 sections, with a total number of 33 questions. The sections contained questions to determine the respondent’s: (i) personal feelings about statements related to trust for the US DOT versus the GDOT, (ii) knowledge about GDOT as a state transportation agency and its work program in the state of Georgia, (iii) level of involvement in open houses and GDOT projects, and (iv) demographics information. The preliminary analysis of the data collected will be presented. Over 400 respondents took the survey. The results of this survey will:
1. Provide useful information about individuals’ trust and knowledge that can be used to develop a plan to make the information from GDOT better understood by the public and to determine how to spread the messages about important projects.
2. Assist in planning an approach that is customized to the GDOT, as well as possibly be used in general for other state DOTs.
3. Assist with the specific types of problems the agency needs to address when getting the public involved in GDOT projects.
Findings of the research will help to develop strategies for successful communication at Public Meetings and Open Houses to enhance the public’s understanding and awareness of GDOTs projects. It will also address the consequences of not implementing improvements associated with GDOT’s work programs.
This research is part of a larger ongoing project for GDOT. The results of this survey will be combined with two other surveys to produce a conceptual guide customized for GDOT that outlines communications strategies to improve understanding and acceptance, while increasing public participation and awareness of its projects. The research team is interdisciplinary consisting of two civil engineers with experience in construction, a mass communications specialist, an information technology specialist and a few graduate and undergraduate students in the aforementioned disciplines.