Work

Trust in Government and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: High levels of trust are positively correlated with increased collaboration, prosocial actions, and heightened adherence to preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies on trust during the pandemic have primarily focused on either cross-sectional data or its impact in conjunction with other related variables, such as political party affiliations or vaccine availability. In this study, we employed a national survey panel comprising data from 760 individuals interviewed at three intervals between July 2020 and January 2021. We used pooled datasets, panel datasets, and dependent variable lags to control for time-invariant unobservable variables and endogeneity. Our findings reveal that trust in government influences individuals’ behavior when they are requested to follow public interventions. Notably, trust in local government is associated with increased adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors, similar to the effect observed with an annual income exceeding $100,000.

Source: Journal of Economic Analysis

DOI: 10.58567/jea04010008

Authors: Yenny Guzman-Ruiz, Joshua Choe, Gerard F. Anderson, Antonio J. Trujillo

Institutions: University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: COVID-19 Prevention and Impact

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W4404049980

FWCI: 0.734

Cites: 59

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10