How novel coronavirus has shaken public trust in decision-making institutions : comparative analysis of selected European Union members

english

2022

volume 15, issue 1

Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Since its first outbreak in December 2019, the novel coronavirus has spread rapidly around the world, affecting all countries and becoming a global crisis. As of August 2021, more than 220 million people have been infected and more than four million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 disease. Many countries around the globe have taken very strict and unprecedented measures to limit the further spread of the novel coronavirus and reduce the number of hospital cases and deaths. The aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss the public health measures in selected member states of the European Union related to the spread of novel coronavirus and the outcomes of these measures, focusing on public confidence in policy- making institutions. We use publicly available data on this topic and test the hypothesis that high levels of public trust in decision-making institutions are directly correlated with compliance with the public health measures and restrictions adopted by these institutions to limit the spread and consequences of the novel coronavirus.

20.12.2023