Volume 22, Issue 85 (8-2022)
refahj 2022, 22(85): 9-48 |
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lotfi khachaki B, mahdizadeh M. (2022). Relationship between People’s Trust in the Government and Their Compliance with Covid-19 Health Advice: A Case study of Tehran Residents. refahj. 22(85), 9-48.
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3922-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3922-en.html
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
The spread of Covid-19 disease has various cultural and social consequences and has affected many aspects of human social life. Infectious diseases now have far-reaching undeniable economic and social consequences, especially when faced with epidemics, which are sometimes more important than their therapeutic challenges. The pattern of pandemic spread, including Corona, which is one of the most complex challenges, is strongly related to the lifestyles and patterns of social behavior of people and is tied to the behaviors of different classes and classes of society as well as regional, national, and local cultures. Therefore, in order to understand how to deal with this disease, it is necessary to see what factors affect the type of action of people to deal with the spread of Corona and to observe health issues. Different people try to follow the health protocols and limit their daily behaviors in different ways to deal with this disease. What factors play a role in how people deal with Covid-19 disease — in terms of the extent to which they follow health principles and display different behaviors, feelings, and attitudes toward the phenomenon — is an important question.
The results of various research studies show that in societies where the level of social trust in institutions, such as government is high, the level of social participation in compliance with pandemic-related health recommendations is also high, like the cases of rate of vaccination acceptance, the rate of referrals to medical care, and also the rate of adherence like social distancing. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between People’s trust in Government and their compliance with Covid-19 recommendations.
Method
In this research survey a questionnaire was used for data collection. The statistical population of the study includes all people living in Tehran during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (Autumn, 2020). Cochran’s formula was used to select the sample size. According to this formula, 300 people were selected by cluster sampling method. Cronbach’s alpha of “compliance with health recommendations” index is 0.826, and this rate is 0.801 for “trust in Government efficiency” index, 0.789 for “trust in government honesty” index, and 0.756 for “trust in government altruism” index, which indicates acceptable reliability of measurement tool.
Various items have been designed to operationalize the “Compliance with Health Recommendations” index such as using wearing mask, hand washing, not shaking hands and rubbing, observing physical distance, avoiding unnecessary traffic, etc. and others have measured people’s attitudes toward issues, such as health advice, strict restrictions, the closure of educational and recreational centers and lower number of travels. In order to measure the level of trust in the “Government honesty”, issues such as the accuracy and truthfulness of the statistics of Corona patients and deaths, the transparency of government policies in the face of the crisis, as well as accurate information about closures and restrictions have been considered. The level of trust in the “Government efficiency” is also designed with statements such as the correctness and appropriateness of government actions to deal with the crisis, fulfillment of government commitments in the face of the corona outbreak, coordinated action of various government departments, and so on. Finally, trust in “government altruism” has been examined in terms of issues such as the use of different opinions in vital decisions, the creation of equal rights to treatment and economic support, as well as close monitoring of the implementation of restrictions.
Findings
Based on the findings, most of the respondents, 34.4% of them, have got their diplomas and postgraduate degrees, and most of them, about 30%, are students. In terms of contextual variables, there was no significant relationship between “compliance with health recommendations” and marital status. However, studies show that women are a little more likely than men to follow health tips and social distancing. There is also a significant relationship between this index and the level of education, so that with increasing level of education, people show more responsible behavior and attitude in the face of Corona disease. Descriptive findings indicate that more than 80% of respondents followed the above-average (high and very high) health recommendations in Covid-19 disease. This indicates a high level of compliance with health recommendations among the sample population. The findings also showed that the level of trust of the sample people in the government in the dimensions of honesty, efficiency, and altruism is moderate. Also total trust index shows that most people, 62%, have a moderate trust in the Government, in contrast, 12.6% of people trust the Government below average and 24.1% of respondents trust the Government above average.
Then, the research hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation test and regression analysis. The results confirmed all three research hypotheses. The results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between trust in Government in all three dimensions and people’s compliance with Corona-related health advice in behavioral, attitudinal, and emotional dimensions. As shown in the table, the strongest relationship between “compliance with health recommendations” and “trust in the Government” is related to government altruism (R = 0.48). Then the variable “Government honesty” (R = 0.34) is placed and finally “Government efficiency” (R = 0.26) has the weakest relationship with the dependent variable.
The results of regression analysis also indicate that the regression model of the research is significant and the value of the correlation coefficient (R) between the variables is 0.543, which shows that there is a relatively strong correlation between the set of independent variables and the dependent variable. Also, the value of the coefficient of determination is equal to 0.287, which shows that about 29% of the factors affecting the compliance of people with health recommendations during the outbreak of Covid-19 disease, are affected by the dimensions of independent variables (trust in government). Interpreting the regression coefficients based on the standardized coefficient (Beta), it can be said that the variable “Government altruism” with a regression coefficient of 0.429 has the highest regression coefficient and the variable “Government efficiency” with a coefficient of 0.120 has the weakest regression coefficient.
Discussion
As the resaults show, in general, it should be said that there is a significant relationship between the index of “compliance with health recommendations” and “trust in the Government” in different dimensions. A more detailed analysis of this relationship shows that trust in Government altruism plays a more effective role in people’s compliance with health guidelines. In other words, those who consider the government to be sympathetic to the people and pursue the demands and justice, try more than others to observe the principles of social distancing, which is always emphasized by the same government.
Trust in Government honesty (honesty in providing Corona-related statistics, transparency, and generally being honest with the public) also plays an important role in how health advice is complied with. In fact, when the Government is not honest with people, they are less likely to follow health protocols and take a more lenient approach to dealing with Corona disease. On the other hand, the efficiency of the government — although less than the other two dimensions of trust — also shapes the social behavior of the people. This means that the better performance of the government against Corona and the public belief that the government has done well in the fight against the virus, makes them pay more attention to the principles of social distancing in their behavior.
The sum of these findings shows that in Iran, the political institution and specifically the Government, still influence the social behavior of individuals. So that increasing trust in the Government (which is itself affected by the performance of the government) has a positive effect on reducing the prevalence of the disease by more compliance with health protocols by the people. Finally, it should be noted that trust is an element that is formed under the influence of various factors; but what matters, and what the present study confirms, is its undeniable role in people’s social behavior and their participation in the observance of the principles of social distancing. Therefore, government must have ways to gain public confidence in their performance during the corona outbreak, so that their efforts to control and curb this pandemic are not in vain.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
All authors contributed in producing of the research.
Funding
In the present study, all expenses were borne by the authors, and they did not have
any sponsors.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
In this article, all rights relating to references are cited and resources are carefully
listed.
Introduction
The spread of Covid-19 disease has various cultural and social consequences and has affected many aspects of human social life. Infectious diseases now have far-reaching undeniable economic and social consequences, especially when faced with epidemics, which are sometimes more important than their therapeutic challenges. The pattern of pandemic spread, including Corona, which is one of the most complex challenges, is strongly related to the lifestyles and patterns of social behavior of people and is tied to the behaviors of different classes and classes of society as well as regional, national, and local cultures. Therefore, in order to understand how to deal with this disease, it is necessary to see what factors affect the type of action of people to deal with the spread of Corona and to observe health issues. Different people try to follow the health protocols and limit their daily behaviors in different ways to deal with this disease. What factors play a role in how people deal with Covid-19 disease — in terms of the extent to which they follow health principles and display different behaviors, feelings, and attitudes toward the phenomenon — is an important question.
The results of various research studies show that in societies where the level of social trust in institutions, such as government is high, the level of social participation in compliance with pandemic-related health recommendations is also high, like the cases of rate of vaccination acceptance, the rate of referrals to medical care, and also the rate of adherence like social distancing. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between People’s trust in Government and their compliance with Covid-19 recommendations.
Method
In this research survey a questionnaire was used for data collection. The statistical population of the study includes all people living in Tehran during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (Autumn, 2020). Cochran’s formula was used to select the sample size. According to this formula, 300 people were selected by cluster sampling method. Cronbach’s alpha of “compliance with health recommendations” index is 0.826, and this rate is 0.801 for “trust in Government efficiency” index, 0.789 for “trust in government honesty” index, and 0.756 for “trust in government altruism” index, which indicates acceptable reliability of measurement tool.
Various items have been designed to operationalize the “Compliance with Health Recommendations” index such as using wearing mask, hand washing, not shaking hands and rubbing, observing physical distance, avoiding unnecessary traffic, etc. and others have measured people’s attitudes toward issues, such as health advice, strict restrictions, the closure of educational and recreational centers and lower number of travels. In order to measure the level of trust in the “Government honesty”, issues such as the accuracy and truthfulness of the statistics of Corona patients and deaths, the transparency of government policies in the face of the crisis, as well as accurate information about closures and restrictions have been considered. The level of trust in the “Government efficiency” is also designed with statements such as the correctness and appropriateness of government actions to deal with the crisis, fulfillment of government commitments in the face of the corona outbreak, coordinated action of various government departments, and so on. Finally, trust in “government altruism” has been examined in terms of issues such as the use of different opinions in vital decisions, the creation of equal rights to treatment and economic support, as well as close monitoring of the implementation of restrictions.
Findings
Based on the findings, most of the respondents, 34.4% of them, have got their diplomas and postgraduate degrees, and most of them, about 30%, are students. In terms of contextual variables, there was no significant relationship between “compliance with health recommendations” and marital status. However, studies show that women are a little more likely than men to follow health tips and social distancing. There is also a significant relationship between this index and the level of education, so that with increasing level of education, people show more responsible behavior and attitude in the face of Corona disease. Descriptive findings indicate that more than 80% of respondents followed the above-average (high and very high) health recommendations in Covid-19 disease. This indicates a high level of compliance with health recommendations among the sample population. The findings also showed that the level of trust of the sample people in the government in the dimensions of honesty, efficiency, and altruism is moderate. Also total trust index shows that most people, 62%, have a moderate trust in the Government, in contrast, 12.6% of people trust the Government below average and 24.1% of respondents trust the Government above average.
Then, the research hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation test and regression analysis. The results confirmed all three research hypotheses. The results showed that there is a significant positive relationship between trust in Government in all three dimensions and people’s compliance with Corona-related health advice in behavioral, attitudinal, and emotional dimensions. As shown in the table, the strongest relationship between “compliance with health recommendations” and “trust in the Government” is related to government altruism (R = 0.48). Then the variable “Government honesty” (R = 0.34) is placed and finally “Government efficiency” (R = 0.26) has the weakest relationship with the dependent variable.
The results of regression analysis also indicate that the regression model of the research is significant and the value of the correlation coefficient (R) between the variables is 0.543, which shows that there is a relatively strong correlation between the set of independent variables and the dependent variable. Also, the value of the coefficient of determination is equal to 0.287, which shows that about 29% of the factors affecting the compliance of people with health recommendations during the outbreak of Covid-19 disease, are affected by the dimensions of independent variables (trust in government). Interpreting the regression coefficients based on the standardized coefficient (Beta), it can be said that the variable “Government altruism” with a regression coefficient of 0.429 has the highest regression coefficient and the variable “Government efficiency” with a coefficient of 0.120 has the weakest regression coefficient.
Discussion
As the resaults show, in general, it should be said that there is a significant relationship between the index of “compliance with health recommendations” and “trust in the Government” in different dimensions. A more detailed analysis of this relationship shows that trust in Government altruism plays a more effective role in people’s compliance with health guidelines. In other words, those who consider the government to be sympathetic to the people and pursue the demands and justice, try more than others to observe the principles of social distancing, which is always emphasized by the same government.
Trust in Government honesty (honesty in providing Corona-related statistics, transparency, and generally being honest with the public) also plays an important role in how health advice is complied with. In fact, when the Government is not honest with people, they are less likely to follow health protocols and take a more lenient approach to dealing with Corona disease. On the other hand, the efficiency of the government — although less than the other two dimensions of trust — also shapes the social behavior of the people. This means that the better performance of the government against Corona and the public belief that the government has done well in the fight against the virus, makes them pay more attention to the principles of social distancing in their behavior.
The sum of these findings shows that in Iran, the political institution and specifically the Government, still influence the social behavior of individuals. So that increasing trust in the Government (which is itself affected by the performance of the government) has a positive effect on reducing the prevalence of the disease by more compliance with health protocols by the people. Finally, it should be noted that trust is an element that is formed under the influence of various factors; but what matters, and what the present study confirms, is its undeniable role in people’s social behavior and their participation in the observance of the principles of social distancing. Therefore, government must have ways to gain public confidence in their performance during the corona outbreak, so that their efforts to control and curb this pandemic are not in vain.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
All authors contributed in producing of the research.
Funding
In the present study, all expenses were borne by the authors, and they did not have
any sponsors.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
In this article, all rights relating to references are cited and resources are carefully
listed.
Type of Study: method |
Received: 2021/07/5 | Accepted: 2022/02/2 | Published: 2022/08/8
Received: 2021/07/5 | Accepted: 2022/02/2 | Published: 2022/08/8
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