How citizens’ information framing enhances government responsiveness for urban sustainable development? Evidence from China's air pollution governance

Government responsiveness plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable urban development and addressing pressing environmental challenges. While previous studies have primarily focused on institutional and contextual factors in explaining government responsiveness, the role of information framing has received less attention. This study seeks to investigate how citizens’ information framing shapes government responsiveness by analyzing citizen-government interaction data from major Chinese cities in the context of air pollution governance. Specifically, individual interest framing tends to reduce the likelihood of enforcement actions and result in shorter response lengths. On the other hand, collective interest framing leads to more detailed government responses, albeit at a slower pace. A more negative expression in framing petitions elicits shorter responses from governments. Furthermore, the combined use of framing strategies has interactive effects on government responsiveness. These findings underscore the theoretical significance of information framing in explaining government responsiveness in China. It is crucial to give particular attention to framing effects to foster responsive governments in environmental governance. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.