Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In an experiment (N = 66) we tested the effectiveness of public information provided by multiple sources against that of single sources. We also examined whether such a combined communication by multiple sources would affect people’s perceptions of information sources in terms of expertise and trustworthiness. The study revealed that before reading the public information, participants anticipated the information to be of higher quality when an environmental NGO and an oil company provided the information together than when either of these organizations provided the information. Post-information evaluations revealed a comparable pattern. Moreover, the study revealed that perceptions of the environmental organization and the oil company were not affected by the combined communication in a positive or negative way.