Post Pandemic Trust in Authorities

Abstract

The world has experienced a severe outbreak that affected millions for more than two years. Managing this outbreak is a very important task for governments. Several measures such as lockdown, mandatory face masks, travel restrictions, online education, and vaccination have been taken to prevent the spread of this serious disease. In this process, trust in authorities or governments is likely to be a key instrument to succeed combating against coronavirus. This paper investigates determinants of trust in local authorities and government on managing pandemic in the case of Malaysia using High-Frequency Monitoring of COVID-19 Impacts in Malaysia (2021-Round 1 and Round 2) that is provided by the World Bank. Findings showed that vaccination status as a key parameter is a significant indicator to explain trust in authorities, along with a few other variables that would help to understand how trust, in this respect, is shaped.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Trust
• Managing pandemic
• Malaysia

References

1. Ahluwalia, S. C., Edelen, M. O., Qureshi, N., & Etchegaray, J. M. (2021). Trust in experts, not trust in national leadership, leads to greater uptake of recommended actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 12(3), 283–302. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12219
2. Bank, W. (2021). High-Frequency Monitoring of COVID-19 Impacts in Malaysia 2021, Rounds 1-2, Ref. MYS_2021_HFS_v01_M. https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/4449/get-microdata
3. Bish, A., & Michie, S. (2010). Demographic and attitudinal determinants of protective behaviours during a pandemic: A review. British Journal of Health Psychology, 15(4), 797–824. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1348/135910710X485826
4. Bodas, M., Kaim, A., Velan, B., Ziv, A., Jaffe, E., & Adini, B. (2022). Overcoming the effect of pandemic fatigue on vaccine hesitancy—Will belief in science triumph? Journal of Nursing Scholarship, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12778
5. Brockner, J., Siegel, P. A., Daly, J. P., Tyler, T., & Martin, C. (1997). When Trust Matters: The Moderating Effect of Outcome Favorability. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(3), 558–583. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393738
6. Devine, D., Gaskell, J., Jennings, W., & Stoker, G. (2020). Trust and the Coronavirus Pandemic: What are the Consequences of and for Trust? An Early Review of the Literature. Political Studies Review, 19(2), 274–285. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929920948684
7. El-Far Cardo, A., Kraus, T., & Kaifie, A. (2021). Factors That Shape People’s Attitudes towards the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany—The Influence of MEDIA, Politics and Personal Characteristics. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Vol. 18, Issue 15). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157772
8. Gilles, I., Bangerter, A., Clémence, A., Green, E. G. T., Krings, F., Staerklé, C., & Wagner-Egger, P. (2011). Trust in medical organizations predicts pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccination behavior and perceived efficacy of protection measures in the Swiss public. European Journal of Epidemiology, 26(3), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9577-2

9. Gong, Z., Veuthey, J., & Han, Z. (2020). What makes people intend to take protective measures against influenza? Perceived risk, efficacy, or trust in authorities. American Journal of Infection Control, 48(11), 1298–1304. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.07.029
10. Graffigna, G., Barello, S., Savarese, M., Palamenghi, L., Castellini, G., Bonanomi, A., & Lozza, E. (2020). Measuring Italian citizens’ engagement in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic containment measures: A cross-sectional study. PLoS ONE, 15(9 September), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238613
11. Gualano, M. R., Lo Moro, G., Voglino, G., Bert, F., & Siliquini, R. (2022). Is the pandemic leading to a crisis of trust? Insights from an Italian nationwide study. Public Health, 202, 32–34. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.10.015
12. Hardin, R. (1999). Do we want trust in government. In M. E. Warren (Ed.), Democracy and trust (pp. 22–41). Cambridge University Press. https://books.google.com.tr/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KepLD0MXbhYC&oi=fnd&pg=PA22&dq=trust+in+government&ots=AYInXowoup&sig=gjTfO7ReaCgiATpt6yM8ysTSPfQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
13. Keele, L. (2005). The Authorities Really Do Matter: Party Control and Trust in Government. The Journal of Politics, 67(3), 873–886. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2508.2005.00343.x
14. Murphy, K., McCarthy, M., Sargeant, E., & Williamson, H. (2022). COVID-19 Conspiracies, Trust in Authorities, and Duty to Comply with Social Distancing Restrictions. International Criminology, 2(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-021-00042-x
15. OECD. (2021). Enhancing public trust in COVID-19 vaccination: The role of government. https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/enhancing-public-trust-in-covid-19-vaccination-the-role-of-governments-eae0ec5a/#biblio-d1e2071
16. Pagliaro, S., Sacchi, S., Pacilli, M. G., Brambilla, M., Lionetti, F., Bettache, K., Bianchi, M., Biella, M., Bonnot, V., Boza, M., Butera, F., Ceylan-Batur, S., Chong, K., Chopova, T., Crimston, C. R., Álvarez, B., Cuadrado, I., Ellemers, N., Formanowicz, M., … Zubieta, E. (2021). Trust predicts COVID-19 prescribed and discretionary behavioral intentions in 23 countries. PLOS ONE, 16(3), e0248334. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248334
17. Perlstein, S. G., & Verboord, M. (2021). Lockdowns, lethality, and laissez-faire politics. Public discourses on political authorities in high-trust countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE, 16(6 June), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253175
18. Sam, D. L. (1998). Predicting Life Satisfaction Among Adolescents from Immigrant Families in Norway. Ethnicity & Health, 3(1–2), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.1998.9961844
19. Tsikas, S. A. (2017). Enforce tax compliance, but cautiously: The role of trust in authorities and power of authorities (Issue 589). Leibniz Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät. http://hdl.handle.net/10419/172843
20. Tyler, T. R. (2001). Public trust and confidence in legal authorities: What do majority and minority group members want from the law and legal institutions?*. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 19(2), 215–235. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.438
21. WAHL, I., KASTLUNGER, B., & KIRCHLER, E. (2010). Trust in Authorities and Power to Enforce Tax Compliance: An Empirical Analysis of the “Slippery Slope Framework.” Law & Policy, 32(4), 383–406. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9930.2010.00327.x
22. WHO. (2022). WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. https://covid19.who.int/
23. Wong, C. M. L., & Jensen, O. (2020). The paradox of trust: perceived risk and public compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Journal of Risk Research, 23(7–8), 1021–1030. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2020.1756386
24. World Bank (2021). High-Frequency Monitoring of COVID-19 Impacts in Malaysia 2021, Rounds 1-2, Ref. MYS_2021_HFS_v01_M. https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/4449/get-microdata