Throughout New Zealand and Australia, a team of researchers at Curtin University determined that trust in government and science increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, their new study suggests.
Released online in the Australian Journal of Public Administration, researchers surveyed hundreds of participants in New Zealand and Australia in July of 2020, amid the pandemic.
“We find trust in government has increased dramatically, with around 80% of respondents agreeing government was generally trustworthy,” the study reads.
“Around three quarters agreed management of the pandemic had increased their trust in government. Over 85% of respondents have confidence that public health scientists work in the public interest.”
Based on their findings, income and education were predictive factors when it comes to measuring a level of trust in government and public health officials.
“Trust in government and confidence in public health scientists strongly predict Covid‐19 phone application use, largely through convincing people the App is beneficial. Trust in government then is both an outcome and antecedent of government effectiveness,” the co-authors also stated in their findings.
The study was authored by Shaun Goldfinch, Ross Taplin, and Robin Gauld.
