Trust in government in Sweden and Denmark during the Covid-19 epidemic

Bibliographic Data

ID6406006
AuthorsJulie Hassing Nielsen (0000-0003-1098-1212, Lund University, corresponding author), Johannes Lindvall (0000-0002-1765-9288, Lund University)
Year2021
Volume44
Issue5-6
Pages1180-1204
Publication date2021-09-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWest European Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01402382.2021.1909964
OpenAlexW3160240769
LanguageEN
Citations received58
References cited37

Did the different public-health policies that Sweden and Denmark pursued in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic result in different levels of public trust in governments’ and health authorities’ ability to guide the two countries safely through the pandemic? How did the level of trust change as the pandemic unfolded? And were there any cross-country differences in the correlates of trust? Using three original representative surveys conducted in Sweden and Denmark between late March and late June, 2020, this article answers these questions. It finds that Danes consistently trusted their government and health authorities more than the Swedes did. While Swedish trust was politicized and shaped by ideology from the onset of the pandemic, this only later became the case in Denmark. The findings provide insights into popular evaluations of different public-health policies in two otherwise similar countries, with implications for future policy making. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2021.1909964

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Biology · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Government (linguistics) · Outbreak · Pandemic · Political economy · Political science · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · Disaster Management and Resilience · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Medicine · Public Policy and Administration Research · Virology

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