Trust and skepticism in dynamic tension: Concepts and empirical refinements from research on the mountain pine beetle outbreak in Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Drawing on published research involving public trust and environmental risk regulation, this study explores a differentiated view of trust that includes aspects of uncritical trust, critical trust, distrust and cynicism. Using survey research of residents (n = 1,303) in three mountain pine beetle affected regions of Alberta, Canada, we examine the attributes of research participants who are grouped into these four types of trust and argue that critical trust relates to a category of citizenship that is ideally important for the effective functioning of democratic society. In contrast to research that draws a strong connection between public trust and public satisfaction with resource management decisions, this study identifies several subtle but significant differences in these terms, calling for more careful attention to trust-related concepts as they are utilized in research and practice.