Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland
Objectives: To explore how perceived disease threat and trust in institutions relate to vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations, and to othering strategies.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Swiss adults in July 2020. Outcome variables were vaccination...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604223/full |
| _version_ | 1819364626910937088 |
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| author | Ingrid Gilles Marie-Annick Le Pogam Margaux Perriraz Adrian Bangerter Eva G. T. Green Christian Staerklé Franciska Krings Pascal Wagner-Egger Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux |
| author_facet | Ingrid Gilles Marie-Annick Le Pogam Margaux Perriraz Adrian Bangerter Eva G. T. Green Christian Staerklé Franciska Krings Pascal Wagner-Egger Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux |
| author_sort | Ingrid Gilles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: To explore how perceived disease threat and trust in institutions relate to vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations, and to othering strategies.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Swiss adults in July 2020. Outcome variables were vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and othering strategies (labelling a given social group as responsible for the disease and distancing from it). Independent variables were perceived disease threat, trust in various institutions, perceived health-related measures, and sociodemographic variables. Linear and logistic regressions were performed.Results: The response rate was 20.2% (1518/7500). Perceived disease threat and trust in medical/scientific institutions were positively associated with vaccination intent and perceived effectiveness of official recommendations for coronavirus mitigation measures. Only disease threat was associated with a perception of effectiveness among othering strategies. Age and education levels were associated with vaccination intent.Conclusion: Reinforcing trust in medical/scientific institutions can help strengthen the perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and vaccination. It however does not prevent adherence to ineffective protecting measures such as othering strategies, where decreasing perceptions of epidemic threat appears to be more efficient. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T23:01:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bcf6b6d204e148e9874d2e38be7d5195 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-8564 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T23:01:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-bcf6b6d204e148e9874d2e38be7d51952022-12-21T16:35:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.International Journal of Public Health1661-85642022-01-016610.3389/ijph.2021.16042231604223Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in SwitzerlandIngrid Gilles0Marie-Annick Le Pogam1Margaux Perriraz2Adrian Bangerter3Eva G. T. Green4Christian Staerklé5Franciska Krings6Pascal Wagner-Egger7Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux8Center for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandCenter for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandInstitute of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandInstitute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandInstitute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandFaculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, SwitzerlandCenter for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandObjectives: To explore how perceived disease threat and trust in institutions relate to vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations, and to othering strategies.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Swiss adults in July 2020. Outcome variables were vaccination intent, perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and othering strategies (labelling a given social group as responsible for the disease and distancing from it). Independent variables were perceived disease threat, trust in various institutions, perceived health-related measures, and sociodemographic variables. Linear and logistic regressions were performed.Results: The response rate was 20.2% (1518/7500). Perceived disease threat and trust in medical/scientific institutions were positively associated with vaccination intent and perceived effectiveness of official recommendations for coronavirus mitigation measures. Only disease threat was associated with a perception of effectiveness among othering strategies. Age and education levels were associated with vaccination intent.Conclusion: Reinforcing trust in medical/scientific institutions can help strengthen the perceived effectiveness of official recommendations and vaccination. It however does not prevent adherence to ineffective protecting measures such as othering strategies, where decreasing perceptions of epidemic threat appears to be more efficient.https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604223/fullCOVID-19vaccination intentofficial recommendationstrust in institutionsdisease threatothering |
| spellingShingle | Ingrid Gilles Marie-Annick Le Pogam Margaux Perriraz Adrian Bangerter Eva G. T. Green Christian Staerklé Franciska Krings Pascal Wagner-Egger Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland International Journal of Public Health COVID-19 vaccination intent official recommendations trust in institutions disease threat othering |
| title | Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland |
| title_full | Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland |
| title_short | Trust in Institutions and the COVID-19 Threat: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Public Perception of Official Recommendations and of Othering in Switzerland |
| title_sort | trust in institutions and the covid 19 threat a cross sectional study on the public perception of official recommendations and of othering in switzerland |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccination intent official recommendations trust in institutions disease threat othering |
| url | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2021.1604223/full |
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