Institutional trust and emergency preparedness: Perceptions of Covid 19 crisis management in Sweden

Abstract

The Covid 19 pandemic has put the issue of public trust at the centre of political analysis. This article inquires into the level of public trust in Sweden concerning current crisis management as well as preparedness for future crises. The empirical basis for this study consists of unique data generated through two surveys on the Covid 19 virus conducted during 2020 in Sweden. Respondents were asked to assess their trust in different actors' crisis management. In addition, the first survey asked about how the actions of different actors impact on the forward-oriented trust held in Swedish emergency preparedness for a future severe crisis. Four key findings stand out. First, the results display rather weak levels of interpersonal trust. Second, a surprisingly high level of institutional trust can be found during the initial phase of the pandemic. Simultaneously we see somewhat decreasing levels of trust later during the pandemic. The results include interesting variations across age, gender and education. Third, relating the results to earlier research on trust in Sweden, the results contain indications of stable trust levels despite the all but stable contextual conditions. Fourth, the analysis shows important variations in trust levels among different institutions and layers of government.

Building trust in times of crisis: A panel study of the influence of satisfaction with COVID‐19 communication and management

“…However, initial rally effects tend to be of short duration, struggling to transition into sustained, enduring backing for political leaders and institutions (Johansson et al, 2021; Kernell, 1978; Mueller, 1973). This was also evident in Sweden, and by the end of 2020, there was already a significant decline in government support in the Nordic countries, albeit still at somewhat higher levels than before the pandemic (Bengtsson & Brommesson, 2022; OECD, 2021).…”

“…The country's high level of social and political trust was essential for the government's expectation that individuals would voluntarily comply with the recommendations of the authorities. Like other Nordic countries, Sweden is generally characterized as a society with high levels of trust (Bengtsson & Brommesson, 2022). Recent surveys of the proportion of people who say they ‘tend to trust’ their national government place Sweden (61%) well above the European Union average (35%) and just ahead of Denmark (59%) and Finland (56%) (European Commission, 2022).…”

I want to be safe: understanding the main drivers behind vaccination choice throughout the pandemic

“…Moreover, the process of building and losing trust is dynamic and ever-changing. While at the beginning of the pandemic there was a general “trust boom” towards both public authorities and scientific community, a correspondingly rapid decrease was observed with the evolving information on vaccines and changing government policies during the pandemic [ 67 , 68 ].…”

Rethinking trust within emergency collaboration: The significance of negative affects

“…Research on trust in emergency organizing explains it as a key antecedent to the effective and efficient sharing of resources and decision‐making within an emergency (Curnin et al 2015; Kapucu, 2006; Roud & Gausdal, 2019; Roud, 2021). Despite conceptual distinctions between cognitive/affective and individual/institutional trust (Roud & Gausdal, 2019), trust can be understood as an increase in confidence in the benevolence and competence of other organizations and/or individuals therein (see e.g., Bengtsson & Brommesson, 2022, p. 483; Chen et al, 2008, p. 71; Curnin et al, 2015, p. 30; Gimenez et al, 2017, p. 169; Roud, 2021, p. 135; for overviews see Stevens et al, 2015; Sydow, 2002). Consequently, positive, or joyful, affects, namely confidence in individuals and organizations, are widely regarded as pivotal to evidence and enable strong and successful emergency collaboration.…”