• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.39
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• pp.178-223
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• 2007

The polarization of public opinion by regionalism is one of biggest problems in Korean society. This study attempts to examine the polarization of public opinion between two typical cities representing regionalism and explore the factors influencing on the polarization. The results show that the polarization of public opinion is based on the perceived public opinion rather than the real public opinion. The polarization of public opinion is greater with regional issue than national issue. In general, citizens of Pusan have a conservative bias in estimating other Pusan citizens' opinion and a liberal bias in estimating Gwangju citizens' opinion, whereas citizens of Gwangju have a looking-glass perception in estimating other Gwangju citizens' opinion and a conservative bias in estimating Pusan citizens' opinion. There are no significant differences of the real public opinion and the perceived opinion across three generations. But within each generation, the tendency of public opinion polarization is found between regions and is not shown to change over generations. Regression analyses show that individual's opinion and region are highly predictable variables that explain the perceived public opinion and the perception bias such as false consensus and pluralistic ignorance.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.42
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• pp.168-204
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• 2008

According to the spiral of silence theory, perception of opinion climates influences willingness to express one's opinion. This study examines the relationship between opinion perception and opinion expression in different regions and issues. The results show that one's opinion and the intensity of opinion affect the expression of opinion about national and regional issues in Busan and Gwangju. People who perceive their opinions as majority are more willing to express theirs about national and regional issues in Gwangju, but not in Busan. Regression analyses show that perceived public opinion does not predict the expression of opinion in both cities. People who perceive their opinions more favorable about regional issue have lower intention to express their opinions than people who perceive their opinions same as others'. In summary, one's opinion and perception bias about controversial issues are important variables influencing expression of opinion, and the influence of perceived public opinion on opinion expression varies in different regions with different distribution of public opinion. This study found 'new hardcores' who perceive their own opinion as minor but more valuable and have the intention to speak out in places more difficult to express.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.182-200
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• 2023

A recent nationwide survey reported that South Koreans perceive large corporations as the party that should be the most responsible for tackling climate change. This public opinion result offers insight into the argument that defining who is responsible for the climate change issue can guide campaigners and policymakers in designing effective communication strategies. This study examines how attributing responsibility to large corporations can affect behavioral intention to support government policy and regulation via a moderated mediation model of the perceived risk of climate change and corporate social responsibility (CSR). A nationwide online survey of 295 South Koreans was conducted. The findings reveal an indirect effect of responsibility attribution on behavioral intention through risk perception. Moreover, perceived CSR moderated the causal link between risk perception and behavioral intention, such that South Koreans reported higher levels of behavioral intention when they reported higher CSR. However, perceived CSR failed to moderate the indirect effect. These findings have implications for communication processes and policymaking to address climate change problems in South Korea.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.76-101
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• 2022

Despite the increasing use of digital media and their powerful impact on risk management during recent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, the question of how digital media exposure influences preventive behaviors has not been fully explained. Using the appraisal tendency framework and protection motivation theory as theoretical frameworks, we theorized the affective and cognitive mechanisms under which the differential roles of three negative emotions (fear, anger, worry) on two cognitive appraisals (perceived threat and perceived efficacy) were examined. Based on data collected from a survey of 1,500 South Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that while worry and anger increased perceived efficacy, fear reduced perceived efficacy. The results also showed that although exposure to COVID-19 information via digital formats increased preventive behavioral intention in general, digital media use for COVID-19 information had a negative influence on preventive behavioral intention through the sequential mediation of fear and perceived efficacy.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-21
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• 2015

A recent public opinion survey found that the anti-corporate sentiment of South Korean citizens is primarily due to the misbehavior of Korean corporations. South Korean citizens' skepticism of corporations may hinder the democratic and economic development of the country. As a driving force for community development, social capital is considered to enable citizens to collaborate with one another to resolve a shared problem. Specifically, this study pays attention to the relationship among social capital, corporate capacity, and trust, which may perhaps contribute to developing a democratic environment in Korean society. The study aims to explore whether Korean citizens' perceived corporate bonding and bridging social capital affect corporate capacity for collaborative action and trust in corporations. A Web survey of 385 South Koreans was conducted. The findings show that perceived bonding social capital among employees is positively related to corporate capacity for collaboration action. Moreover, perceived bonding among employees and bridging social capital between employees and local residents are positively related to corporate capacity for collaboration action and trust in corporations. These findings suggest that researchers and practitioners for organizational development and community-building need to enhance corporate social capital.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.143-168
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• 2019

With much attention being paid to the rapid growth of wrist-worn smart devices, this study aimed to examine the micro-processes that determine an individual's adoption of smart bands and smartwatches. Primarily relying on the theoretical background of the extended technology acceptance model (TAM II), this study explored relationships between three groups of predictors-social, personal, and device-oriented-and the three main components of the original TAM: perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and behavioral intention (BI). Results from the path analysis indicated multiple factors played significant roles in increasing the PU, PEOU, and BI of wristworn smart devices: subjective norms, social image, self-efficacy, perceived service diversity, and perceived reasonable cost. The main findings from this research contribute to significantly improving the understanding of the main factors leading people to adopt wrist-worn smart devices.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.23-50
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• 2022

This study examined the perceived contingent factors that affect South Korean citizens' image of the city they reside in. The respondents in this study perceived the image of their city through two dimensions--leading and safe--during the COVID-19 era. When respondents perceived the openness and expertise of the local government, the transformational and transactional leadership of the government leader, liberal political orientation of the leader, lower degree of law compliance of the mayor, high degree of citizenship, and high level of living infrastructure and competitiveness as attributes of the city, they were more likely to perceive the city as having a "leading" image. The perceived cultural characteristics of the local government, specifically the factor of hierarchy and regulation, the perceptions of citizenship, and all three variables regarding the perceptions related to city attributes (i.e., environmental, cultural, and living infrastructures and competitiveness) positively influenced the perception of a "safe" city image. Based on the results, various theoretical and practical implications were discussed in this study.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.107-144
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• 2023

In competitive political contexts, sustaining power is the ultimate goal for political parties. Nominating celebrity politicians can be a double-edged sword for parent brands in attracting votes and influencing voting intention. This study contributes to the moderating role of brand affinity towards celebrity politicians. It considers celebrities' cognitive perceived benefits and voting intention relationship in a multiparty parliamentarian election. A cross-sectional survey with a stratified proportional random sampling technique in fifteen Lebanese districts ensured a representative sample. One thousand two hundred sixty-nine responses were found eligible for analysis. Findings indicate that brand affinity positively moderates the negative relationship between perceived benefits and voting intention. This study offers a new understanding of celebrity politicians' implementation strategy and campaign management and considers the contribution of the affective intelligence theory. It provides implications, limitations, and promising directions for future research on celebrity politicians.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.274-303
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• 2023

The third-person perception phenomenon can consistently be found in opinion poll news, but it remains unknown what determines the degree of the third-person perception (TPP) about specific election poll news. We investigated how respondents' preferred candidate's status in the poll affects the perceived impact of polling news on both themselves (PMI1) and on others (PMI3) as well as TPP (PMI3 - PMI1). We also examined the effect of subjective political knowledge and the perceived level of political knowledge of others on TPP. An online experiment was conducted in the context of a gubernatorial election in South Korea, in which the leading candidate in the poll and the question order (self-question first vs. other-question first) were manipulated. The results indicated that PMI1 and PMI3 were greater when the respondent's preferred candidate was leading in the poll. TPP did not differ depending on subjective knowledge, but it was greater when the others were non-experts (vs. experts). Lastly, question order was found to be a method factor that affected both PMI1 and PMI3. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.351-376
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• 2020

A low level of transparency and trust in the release of government information during the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease the chance of success in handling the coronavirus outbreak. This worldwide pandemic has damaged not only human health but also created an economic and social crisis. Indonesia is no exception. Unfortunately, an analysis of a mixed-method survey of 500 participants found that public perception of transparency in the government's release of COVID-19 information is still at a low level. This perceived low level of transparency generates minimum trust in the information. Only 8% of participants trust the government's information regarding the virus. Even though the Indonesian government launched an official website, www.covid19.go.id, which is intended as a primary source of valid information about COVID-19 in Indonesia, most survey participants had never used the website. However, contrary to the low levels of perceived transparency and trust, most participants said that the messages from the government are clear and easy to understand. This contradiction resulted from skepticism toward the government. Therefore, this research presents a better understanding of how the level of transparency and trust is also related to the level of skepticism of the government.