ABSTRACT

Objective

The current study explored (1) changes in trust in federal and state governments and scientists across representative Australian national samples from 2003–2020; and (2) the extent to which trust in these sources predicted compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures at the onset of the pandemic.

Method

Using a nationally representative samples (N = 1000), we asked participants to rate their trust in federal and state government and in scientists, their extent of compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures, and to provide demographic information.

Results

We found that trust in federal and state governments had significantly increased, while trust in scientists was at a high level matched by only three other time-points. Higher levels of trust in state government and scientists uniquely predicted greater compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. Women and older respondents also reported greater compliance.

Conclusion

The current findings reinforce those from Australia and other countries indicating that trust increased during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those identifying trust in government and in scientists as important predictors of compliance. Importantly, our findings highlight the role of trust in state government, which potentially reflects the role played by Australian state governments in enacting and enforcing COVID-19 prevention measures.

中文翻译：

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澳大利亚大流行期间遵守 COVID-19 预防措施：调查信任对联邦和州政府以及科学家的作用

摘要

客观的

当前的研究探讨了 (1) 2003 年至 2020 年代表性澳大利亚国家样本中对联邦和州政府以及科学家的信任变化；(2) 在大流行开始时，对这些来源的信任程度预示着人们会遵守 COVID-19 预防措施。

方法

使用具有全国代表性的样本 (N = 1000)，我们要求参与者评价他们对联邦和州政府以及科学家的信任度、他们对 COVID-19 预防措施的遵守程度，并提供人口统计信息。

结果

我们发现，对联邦和州政府的信任度显着增加，而对科学家的信任度也达到了较高水平，只有其他三个时间点与之相匹配。对州政府和科学家的更高程度的信任独特地预示着人们对 COVID-19 预防措施的遵守程度会更高。女性和老年受访者也表示遵守率更高。

结论

目前的研究结果证实了澳大利亚和其他国家的研究结果表明，在 COVID-19 大流行爆发期间，信任度有所增加，并且将对政府和科学家的信任视为合规性的重要预测因素。重要的是，我们的研究结果强调了对州政府的信任的作用，这可能反映了澳大利亚州政府在制定和执行 COVID-19 预防措施方面所发挥的作用。