Trust and Confidence in Aviation Safety Oversight: Comparing Scales of Public Perception

Effective aviation safety oversight depends significantly on public trust and confidence in regulatory institutions. Understanding the dynamics behind public trust in Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) is critical to ensuring compliance, improving safety performance, and fostering legitimacy. This poster presents the preliminary results of a scoping review focused on the mechanisms currently used to measure public trust and confidence in public institutions worldwide. The review examines three scales presented in the literature that could support the analysis of institutional trust in governmental bodies, particularly in public safety-relevant industries such as aviation. The analysis identified some differences in the way the scholarly literature addresses these constructs and some similarities in the methodologies used to measure them. Thes studies also target different participants to collect perception information. The findings support the development of a pilot study supporting the development of new tools for assessing trust in CAAs, which may lead to actionable insights for improving regulatory effectiveness and public perception of aviation safety measures. The outcomes are expected to enhance the theoretical understanding of public trust in aviation oversight and provide practical recommendations for policymakers to reinforce public confidence in safety-related regulatory decisions.