An experiment on the moderating effect of attention to interpersonal factors of procedural fairness: Formation of impressions of the Japanese prime minister's speeches on resuming nuclear power plant operations

Abstract

Previous studies have confirmed that the perception of procedural fairness promotes the acceptance of political decisions and that people's impressions of authority affect such perceptions. On the other hand, it is thought that people do not always consider political problems in detail, often performing cognitive processing by the heuristic of using peripheral information and thereby forming their attitudes. An experiment was conducted on how impressions were formed of the Japanese prime minister's speeches on the restart of nuclear power plants. Participants were divided according to degree of focus of attention, and analysis was conducted of the relationship among impressions of the prime minister, procedural fairness, and support for the decision. Overall, it was confirmed that evaluation of accountability fostered support for procedural fairness and decisions reached, but the higher the degree of focus, the more pronounced the effect was regarding assessment of accountability in procedural fairness.