The Lancet, in part using Gallup World Poll data, demonstrated a significant correlation between trust in government and COVID-19 infections.
The review looked at COVID-related outcomes, trust in government and interpersonal trust (along with many other variables) across 177 countries.
The analysis and results were complex, with the usual caveats and statistical cautions -- but in the end, the authors concluded that "higher levels of trust (government and interpersonal) had large, statistically significant associations with fewer infections for the entire study period."Thomas J.
Bollyky, the study's lead author, and his colleagues summarized the findings in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Especially in free societies, whether a country succeeds or fails in mobilizing public trust -- between its citizens and their government but also among citizens themselves -- may help to explain its success or failure in limiting infections and death from COVID-19." And, in The BMJ, Bollyky said, "Trust is an area where governments can move the needle, and the fact that it outweighs traditional measures of healthcare capacity and pandemic preparedness should be a wakeup call for all of us as we face the ongoing pandemic and the threat of future disease outbreaks."These results certainly give reason for us to focus our attention on Americans' levels of trust in their federal government.