Trust in Government Agencies in the Time of COVID-19

Explores variations in trust across various levels of government based on a nationally-representative survey conducted in March of 2020.

Scott E. Robinson (Author), Kuhika Gupta (Author), Joseph Ripberger (Author), Jennifer A. Ross (Author), Andrew Fox (Author), Hank Jenkins-Smith (Author), Carol Silva (Author)

9781108959551, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 November 2021

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.15 kg

As the US faced its lowest levels of reported trust in government, the COVID-19 crisis revealed the essential service that various federal agencies provide as sources of information. This Element explores variations in trust across various levels of government and government agencies based on a nationally-representative survey conducted in March of 2020. First, it examines trust in agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, state health departments, and local health care providers. This includes variation across key characteristics including party identification, age, and race. Second, the Element explores the evolution of trust in health-related organizations throughout 2020 as the pandemic continued. The Element concludes with a discussion of the implications for agency-specific assessments of trust and their importance as we address historically low levels of trust in government. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. Introduction – A Crisis in Trust and Trust in a Crisis
2. A Theory of Trust in Agencies
3. Data Collection
4. Variation in Trust
5. Dynamics of Trust
6. Conclusions and Future Directions.

Subject Areas: Health systems & services [MBP], Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Public administration [JPP], Politics & government [JP]