In Government and Scientists We Trust

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led the German government to introduce containment measures to suppress transmission. This article tests if compliance with those measures was influenced by trust in the governing, health, and scientific institutions that were managing the crisis. The research draws on a survey collected amid the early days of the pandemic. Principal components analysis uncover three trust dimensions: trust in scientific, political, and regional institutions. Multivariate generalized linear models then find that individuals trusting of scientific and political institutions were more likely to reduce social contacts, avoid crowded places, and maintain social distance. These effects endure net of political partisanship and exposure to social media. By demonstrating that trust influenced compliance, I reframe a public health emergency as one set within a relationship between citizens and the state and advocate for policy learning structures in which the role of trust is more meaningfully incorporated

Cognitive reframing · Compliance (psychology · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · German · Government (linguistics · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Public trust · Set (abstract data type · Social capital · Social trust · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Public Administration · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

• Covid-19 Vaccination Policy Compliance in Italy and Switzerland

  Open Access•Johanna Hornung•Political Studies•2025

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