TY - JOUR

T1 - Trust in government regarding COVID-19 and its associations with preventive health behaviour and prosocial behaviour during the pandemic

T2 - A cross-sectional and longitudinal study

AU - PsyCorona Collaboration

AU - Han, Qing

AU - Zheng, Bang

AU - Cristea, Mioara

AU - Agostini, Maximilian

AU - Bélanger, Jocelyn J.

AU - Gützkow, Ben

AU - Kreienkamp, Jannis

AU - Leander, N. Pontus

AU - Abakoumkin, Georgios

AU - Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum Abdul

AU - Ahmedi, Vjollca

AU - Akkas, Handan

AU - Almenara, Carlos A.

AU - Atta, Mohsin

AU - Bagci, Sabahat Cigdem

AU - Basel, Sima

AU - Kida, Edona Berisha

AU - Bernardo, Allan B.I.

AU - Buttrick, Nicholas R.

AU - Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit

AU - Choi, Hoon Seok

AU - Csaba, Sára

AU - Damnjanovic, Kaja

AU - Danyliuk, Ivan

AU - Dash, Arobindu

AU - Di Santo, Daniela

AU - Douglas, Karen M.

AU - Enea, Violeta

AU - Faller, Daiane Gracieli

AU - Fitzsimons, Gavan J.

AU - Gheorghiu, Alexandra

AU - Grzymala-Moszczynska, Joanna

AU - Gómez, Ángel

AU - Hamaidia, Ali

AU - Helmy, Mai

AU - Hudiyana, Joevarian

AU - Jeronimus, Bertus F.

AU - Jiang, Ding Yu

AU - Jovanovic, Veljko

AU - Kamenov, Željka

AU - Kende, Anna

AU - Keng, Shian Ling

AU - Kieu, Tra Thi Thanh

AU - Koc, Yasin

AU - Kovyazina, Kamila

AU - Kozytska, Inna

AU - Krause, Joshua

AU - Kruglanski, Arie W.

AU - Kurapov, Anton

AU - Kutlaca, Maja

N1 - Publisher Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press.

PY - 2023/1/26

Y1 - 2023/1/26

N2 - Background The effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours, and potential determinants of trust in government during the pandemic. Methods This study analysed data from the PsyCorona Survey, an international project on COVID-19 that included 23 733 participants from 23 countries (representative in age and gender distributions by country) at baseline survey and 7785 participants who also completed follow-up surveys. Specification curve analysis was used to examine concurrent associations between trust in government and self-reported behaviours. We further used structural equation model to explore potential determinants of trust in government. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between baseline trust and longitudinal behavioural changes. Results Higher trust in government regarding COVID-19 control was significantly associated with higher adoption of health behaviours (handwashing, avoiding crowded space, self-quarantine) and prosocial behaviours in specification curve analyses (median standardised β = 0.173 and 0.229, p < 0.001). Government perceived as well organised, disseminating clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19, and perceived fairness were positively associated with trust in government (standardised β = 0.358, 0.230, 0.056, and 0.249, p < 0.01). Higher trust at baseline survey was significantly associated with lower rate of decline in health behaviours over time (p for interaction = 0.001). Conclusions These results highlighted the importance of trust in government in the control of COVID-19.

AB - Background The effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours, and potential determinants of trust in government during the pandemic. Methods This study analysed data from the PsyCorona Survey, an international project on COVID-19 that included 23 733 participants from 23 countries (representative in age and gender distributions by country) at baseline survey and 7785 participants who also completed follow-up surveys. Specification curve analysis was used to examine concurrent associations between trust in government and self-reported behaviours. We further used structural equation model to explore potential determinants of trust in government. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between baseline trust and longitudinal behavioural changes. Results Higher trust in government regarding COVID-19 control was significantly associated with higher adoption of health behaviours (handwashing, avoiding crowded space, self-quarantine) and prosocial behaviours in specification curve analyses (median standardised β = 0.173 and 0.229, p < 0.001). Government perceived as well organised, disseminating clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19, and perceived fairness were positively associated with trust in government (standardised β = 0.358, 0.230, 0.056, and 0.249, p < 0.01). Higher trust at baseline survey was significantly associated with lower rate of decline in health behaviours over time (p for interaction = 0.001). Conclusions These results highlighted the importance of trust in government in the control of COVID-19.

KW - Management studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103442450&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/fb44876d-5b51-367f-a6ee-91b11d8ea4bc/

U2 - 10.1017/S0033291721001306

DO - 10.1017/S0033291721001306

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 33769242

AN - SCOPUS:85103442450

VL - 53

SP - 149

EP - 159

JO - Psychological Medicine

JF - Psychological Medicine

SN - 0033-2917

IS - 1

ER -