Digital Transparency and Trust: Perspective of Stakeholder Social Media Behaviour on Public Perception of Construction Projects in Ghana

Abstract

In the construction industry, social media has been transforming stakeholderpublic communication, especially in developing contexts where trust and transparency are paramount. However, there is limited empirical data on how stakeholder social media behaviour influences public perception on construction projects in Ghana. This study focuses on how digital stakeholder communication influences public trust and perception of construction projects. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional study design, targeting adult social media users in urban and peri-urban Ghana exposed to construction works. Data were obtained through a structured online questionnaire and analysed through Multiple Linear Regression. The study evaluated the impact of five stakeholder social media behaviours, namely frequency of updates, transparency, responsiveness, engagement, and tone of messaging. The findings indicate that stakeholders’ social media behaviour explains about 67% of the variation in public perception. Transparency, responsiveness and tone of messaging show strong and statistically significant positive impacts on public perception, while frequency of updates and engagement metrics do not significantly predict perception. The study concludes that the quality and credibility of stakeholder communication, rather than posting frequently, is more critical in building public trust in construction projects. The results will help are useful in to advance digital communication approaches in Ghana and other developing settings.