What Is the Flag We Rally Around? Trust in Information Sources at the Outset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latvia

Abstract

Trust in information sources about COVID-19 may influence the public attitude toward the disease and the imposed restrictions, thus determining the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in a given country. Acknowledging an increase in trust in the government or the so-called rally ‘round the flag’ effect around the world at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study explores possible determinants of this effect in Latvia, looking at such variables as the perceived disease risk, gender, age, education, income, and language spoken in the family. Presuming that risk perception may be amplified by trust in various information sources, we investigate a spill-over of the rally ‘round the flag’ effect on healthcare professionals, media, and interpersonal networks. Studying data from a nationally representative sociological survey conducted in September 2020, we confirm a positive relationship between trust in all information sources, except friends, relatives, and colleagues, and perceived disease risk. Correlations are also strong regarding trust in almost all information sources and the measured socio-demographic variables, except gender. Interpersonal trust seems to be relatively stable, and in most cases the correlations are statistically insignificant. With this study we suggest that increase in trust in government institutions as well as other information sources, even in crisis situations, does not depend on any single element, but instead presents a more complex phenomenon.

From Rally to Reality: Unveiling Long-Term Dynamics in Political Trust Over Two Years of COVID-19 in Germany

“…However, our results demonstrate that these initial increases in trust vary considerably across different institutions and actors. Specifically, we observe larger increases for items most closely related to the main actors during the pandemic, i.e., the national government and parliament, while coefficients for media or other institutions indicate only small to medium changes (see also Baekgaard et al 2023;Rožukalne et al 2022). Consequently, our results illustrate that the rally effect primarily manifests in the national executive and main legislative, while we also observe spillover effects to most other objects of political trust that might have been less directly involved in the crisis management but are perceived through the lens of overall government performance and trustworthiness.…”

Изменчивость Ковид-Скептических Установок В России: Результаты Анализа Двух Волн Лонгитюдного Опроса «Ценности В Кризисе»

“…При этом среди убежденных скептиков уровень обеспокоенности по поводу здоровья в обеих волнах был существенно ниже, чем среди новых скептиков. Это согласуется с наблюдениями других исследователей, согласно которым индивидуальное восприятие риска заболеть может быть нелинейно (U-образно) связано со склонностью к конспирологическому мышлению [Rozukalne et al, 2021].…”

Educational Disparities in Trust Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2017-22)

“…Numerous consequences stemming from the pandemic exhibit educational disparities, including health risks linked to on-site employment (Kleinert et al, 2020) or amplified economic inequalities within specific sectors (Adams-Prassl et al, 2020), but also divergent media consumption patterns (Rožukalne et al, 2022), and varying interpretations of government policies and the pandemic's context (Rupar et al, 2023). These findings suggest educational disparities in how individuals have experienced and perceived the pandemic and its consequences, leading to variation in altered trust.…”