Formation of Distance between Government and Public

Key words: political communication; government and public; distance; psychological distance; political trust

Abstract:

The formation of the distance between government and the public can be examined from three dimensions: the distance formed directly and indirectly, the distance formed by the inequality of status and information asymmetry between the government and the public, the distance formed by government behavior and the one explaining the formation of government behavior. The three dimensions are not only different from each other, but also interact with each other. The change of any factor will affect the distance between the government and the public. The interpretation level of the government, media organizations, other organizations or individuals will also affect the distance, which requires different subjects to choose a reasonable level of interpretation to coordinate the communication distance between the government and the public.

Author:

Liu Xiaoyan, Researcher, National Academy of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China; Researcher, Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, Renmin University of China.