Parasocial relationship in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model of digital media exposure on political trust among Chinese young people

How to retain people's trust in the government becomes a critical topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research on media use and government public relations has proliferated in the past several decades. However, there is a paucity of research investigating political trust in the context of a public health crisis as a communicative process from a relational perspective. This study examined collectivism and parasocial relationships as two potential mechanisms linking digital media exposure to political trust in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 465 Chinese young adults aged between 18 and 35 responded to anonymous questionnaires regarding digital media exposure to Nanshan Zhong, collectivism, parasocial relationships, COVID-19 political trust, and general political trust. The results suggested that the formation of parasocial relationships with Nanshan Zhong mediated the impact of digital media exposure on COVID-19 political trust and general political trust, respectively. Meanwhile, the indirect associations were moderated by collectivism. Through repeated exposure to news of Nanshan Zhong on multiple digital media, individuals with higher levels of collectivism were more likely to develop parasocial relationships with him, which subsequently resulted in increased political trust.