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The article presents commentary on rural distrust of public health interventions in the U.S. Topics include accumulation of mistrust of health care institutions among residents of home communities;and discuss long standing historical patterns and reasons that may promote mistrust of public health interventions.
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Introduction: This study aimed to explore the factors influencing people's utilization of ride-hailing services, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A two-stage survey was conducted among the same group of passengers pre and post COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a total of 670 valid samples. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to the data, followed by the ordered probit and ordered logit models to identify the motivational factors behind passengers' frequency of using ride-hailing. Results: The findings indicated that trust and loyalty were the most influential factors in determining passengers' frequency of using ride-hailing services. However, passengers' perception of the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant effect on the frequency of using ride-hailing. Discussion: This research provides empirical evidence and policy implications for understanding people's usage of the ride-hailing services in the context of public-health emergency. Copyright © 2023 Ling, Jia, Yuan, Dong and Zhang.
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This study examines three noncompliant cases occurred in Wuhan, China during the outbreak of the COVID-19 in 2020, including the Li Wenliang (sic) case, the Chen Qiushi (sic) case, and the Huang Dengying (sic) case. These cases, albeit with different natures, broke out during the early stage of Wuhan (TM) s epidemic and posted threat and challenges to the Chinese authorities to different degrees. Based on open source information, this study focuses on the issues of trust and examines trust at three different levels (interpersonal trust, public trust, and political trust) among interactions by three groups of actors, including individuals involved in each case, the general public (e.g., how the public perceived and evaluated each case), and the authorities (e.g., how governments at the local and central levels perceived and handled each case). Two research questions are addressed: 1) How did trust at different levels play out in each case? 2) How did Chinese authorities respond to and handle threat and public trust challenges? Policy implications are drawn.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in March 2020, it impacted all areas of society. Most conspicuous were the lockdowns that were quickly imposed in many countries along with other restrictions. These interventions into the everyday life of ordinary citizens were, perhaps not surprisingly, often met with resistance by citizens and businesses that felt their rights were being trampled on by governments. In this paper, we analyse reactions towards the far-reaching measures taken by the Danish government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the fur industry and thereby prevent the development of new mutations of the virus: to cull all minks and temporarily ban mink production in Denmark. We argue that by studying this case, valuable lessons can be learned regarding how a business community reacts when faced with a great reset. Taking the current climate crisis into consideration, it must be expected that emission-heavy industries, like agriculture, will be faced with calls to radically change their mode of production in the near future. In this sense, we propose to view the Danish mink case as an early example of what a great reset could look like, how it is perceived by those who experience it first-hand, and how feelings of resentment and resistance can develop following a logic of (mis)recognition. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
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Informed by crisis communication literature and dialogic communication theory, this study proposed an internal crisis communication model for the COVID-19 pandemic, considering base crisis responses (i.e., instructing information, adjusting information) and dialogic competency (i.e., mutuality, openness) as key variables. Trust in organizational commitment related to the COVID-19 pandemic was presented as a mediator. Through this model, we examined how employees' sense of belonging to their organization, relational satisfaction, and their support for organizational decisions about COVID-19 were related to the factors presented. An online survey of full-time employees in the U.S. was conducted. The study found that instructing information in the context of COVID-19 was positively associated with employee trust in their organization's pandemic-related commitment and, in turn, increased employees' support for organizational decisions, sense of belonging, and relationship satisfaction. Conversely, adjusting information had a negative effect on employee trust in organizational commitment. The dialogic competency of employers in COVID-19-related internal crisis communication, characterized by mutuality and openness, was not only indirectly related to positive employee responses through trust in their organization's commitment, but was also directly related to greater support of organizational decisions, a sense of belonging, and relationship satisfaction. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications were discussed. © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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To cope with global crises, organizations go through various internal changes and adopt different survival strategies. Several researchers and practitioners have highlighted that employees are the key factors in implementing such changes. However, organizations often face difficulties in managing manpower effectively due to the complexities and ambiguities related to the said changes. To address this challenge, the present study proposes a comprehensive model to manage organizational change to effectively respond to global crises. This study highlights that "employee change-championing behavior” (ECB) – also known as effective change-supportive behavior of employees – is the key to successfully implementing the necessary organizational changes to tackle global crises. Utilizing the 3-Stage Lewin's Model of Change as the foundation for analysis, this study proposes for "transformational leadership style” to substitute the "unfreezing stage,” "trust in leadership and work engagement” to substitute the "moving stage,” and "employee change championing behavior” to substitute the "refreezing stage.” Additionally, this study found that transformational leadership (TL) influences employee change-championing behavior, while employee trust in leadership (ETL) influences employee work engagement (EWE). Moreover, trust in leadership and work engagement individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between TL and employee change-championing behavior. This study offers a unique perspective for business leaders on how to manage organizational changes during global crises. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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There are many ways that trust plays a crucial role in science, both between researchers and between researchers and various communities impacted by their research. Scientific practices can operate in ways that either facilitate, or undermine, trust in science. This contribution will examine the role of science communication in facilitating (or undermining) public trust in science and science-based policy recommendations. This will be done by looking at some potential failures in the public communication of science during the COVID-19 pandemic that have the potential to undermine trust in scientists. Finally, I draw out lessons that this case has for how we might improve science communication practices. © 2022 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the Institute.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in poor mental health among Asian Indians was observed in the United States. However, the leading predictors of poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asian Indians remained unknown. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to self-identified Asian Indians aged 18 and older (N = 289). Survey collected information on demographic and socio-economic characteristics and the COVID-19 burden. Two novel machine learning techniques-eXtreme Gradient Boosting and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to identify the leading predictors and explain their associations with poor mental health. A majority of the study participants were female (65.1%), below 50 years of age (73.3%), and had income ≥ $75,000 (81.0%). The six leading predictors of poor mental health among Asian Indians were sleep disturbance, age, general health, income, wearing a mask, and self-reported discrimination. SHAP plots indicated that higher age, wearing a mask, and maintaining social distancing all the time were negatively associated with poor mental health while having sleep disturbance and imputed income levels were positively associated with poor mental health. The model performance metrics indicated high accuracy (0.77), precision (0.78), F1 score (0.77), recall (0.77), and AUROC (0.87). Nearly one in two adults reported poor mental health, and one in five reported sleep disturbance. Findings from our study suggest a paradoxical relationship between income and poor mental health;further studies are needed to confirm our study findings. Sleep disturbance and perceived discrimination can be targeted through tailored intervention to reduce the risk of poor mental health in Asian Indians. © 2022 by the authors.
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IntroductionWithin the technological development path, chatbots are considered an important tool for economic and social entities to become more efficient and to develop customer-centric experiences that mimic human behavior. Although artificial intelligence is increasingly used, there is a lack of empirical studies that aim to understand consumers' experience with chatbots. Moreover, in a context characterized by constant population aging and an increased life-expectancy, the way aging adults perceive technology becomes of great interest. However, based on the digital divide (unequal access to technology, knowledge, and resources), and since young adults (aged between 18 and 34 years old) are considered to have greater affinity for technology, most of the research is dedicated to their perception. The present paper investigates the way chatbots are perceived by middle-aged and aging adults in Romania. MethodsAn online opinion survey has been conducted. The age-range of the subjects is 40-78 years old, a convenience sampling technique being used (N = 235). The timeframe of the study is May-June 2021. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic is the core context of the research. A covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) has been used to test the theoretical assumptions as it is a procedure used for complex conceptual models and theory testing. ResultsThe results show that while perceived ease of use is explained by the effort, the competence, and the perceive external control in interacting with chatbots, perceived usefulness is supported by the perceived ease of use and subjective norms. Furthermore, individuals are likely to further use chatbots (behavioral intention) if they consider this interaction useful and if the others' opinion is in favor of using it. Gender and age seem to have no effect on behavioral intention. As studies on chatbots and aging adults are few and are mainly investigating reactions in the healthcare domain, this research is one of the first attempts to better understand the way chatbots in a not domain-specific context are perceived later in life. Likewise, judging from a business perspective, the results can help economic and social organizations to improve and adapt AI-based interaction for the aging customers.
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Interpersonal trust is a critical psychological factor that reveals the quality of resident-tourist relationship in tourism destinations. However, residents' positive attitudes toward tourists are gradually taken for granted, with research on residents' psychological tendency (i.e., interpersonal trust) in providing tourism services and creating mutually beneficial resident-tourist interaction lagging behind. Based on interpersonal relationship theory and social exchange theory, this study employed a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the formation of interpersonal trust in tourists during resident participation in rural tourism. The dimensions of resident participation (i.e., decision-making, economic, and social participation) and the conceptual model were first identified through qualitative analysis. Subsequently, through the PLS-based structural equation modeling using a sample of 469 residents from Jiuzhai Valley, China, the study suggested that economic and social participation were instrumental in shaping residents' cognitive and affective trust in tourists both directly and indirectly through residents' perceived benefits of tourism. This study offers implications for academia and destination management to promote sustainable tourism development and social harmony against the crisis of trust between residents and tourists caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Covid-19 pandemic triggered polarisation across Europe. While most citizens supported governments' containment measures, others took to the streets and voiced their dissatisfaction. The article focuses on the mobilisation potential related to this heterogenous protest wave. It examines individuals that show sympathy and are willing to engage in anti-containment demonstrations based on 16 waves of a rolling cross-section survey fielded in Germany in 2020/2021. The results show a considerable and stable mobilisation potential: every fifth respondent sympathises with the protesters, and around 60% of those are ready to participate themselves. Political distrust, far-right orientations and an emerging 'freedom divide' structure the potential, as do Covid-19-related economic and health threats. Moreover, the findings indicate a radicalisation process and show how ideology and threat perceptions drive the step from sympathy to willingness to participate, suggesting that ideological polarisation may quickly spill over to the streets given an appropriate supply of protest opportunities.
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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has created devastating health, social, economic, and political effects that will have long-lasting impacts. Public health efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are the priority of national policies for responding to the pandemic globally. Public health and social measures (PHSMs) have been shown to be effective when used alone or in combination with other measures, reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19. However, there is insufficient evidence on the status of compliance with PHSMs in the general population for the prevention of COVID-19 in public areas, including Korea. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess levels of compliance with the recommended PHSMs against SARS-CoV-2 infection and their predictors among the general population by using national data. METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis of the National Survey of Infectious Disease Preventive Behaviors in Community, which was conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) between October 12 and October 30, 2020. The primary study was cross-sectional, using stratified sampling via an adjusted proportional allocation method to select representative samples and ensure the stability of samples. The data were collected through phone interviews conducted by trained enumerators using a structured questionnaire. PHSM adherence was measured using a 10-item comprehensive infectious disease prevention behavior (CIDPB) scale, and each sociocognitive factor, including perceived susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, perceived severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, perceived confidence in performing preventive behaviors related to COVID-19, information comprehension ability, and trust in information from the KDCA, was measured. A total of 4003 participants were included in the final analysis. Tobit regression and a decision tree analysis were performed to identify the predictors of preventive measures and the target groups for intervention. RESULTS: We discovered that women scored 1.34 points higher on the CIDPB scale than men (P<.001). Compared to the group aged 19 to 29 years, those aged 50 to 59 years and those older than 60 years scored 1.89 and 2.48 points higher on the CIDPB scale (P<.001), respectively. The perceived severity of infection, confidence in preventive behaviors, information comprehension ability, and trust in information from the KDCA were significant positive determinants of CIDPBs (P<.001). The perceived susceptibility to infection showed a significant negative relationship with CIDPBs (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Female sex, older age, lower income, and sociocognitive factors were found to be significant determinants of adhering to PHSMs. The findings suggest the need for tailored interventions for target groups;specifically, the age group that was the most active at work indicated the highest potential to spread infection. Adequate public health education and health communication for promoting adherence to PHSMs should be emphasized, and behavior change strategies for those with low perceived confidence in performing PHSMs should be prioritized. ©Hye Chong Hong, Hyeonkyeong Lee, Suk Jeong Lee, Chang Park, Mikyung Lee. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (https://publichealth.jmir.org), 17.01.2023.
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Background: The effective implementation of government policies and measures for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires compliance from the public. This study aimed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of trust in government regarding COVID-19 control with the adoption of recommended health behaviours and prosocial behaviours, and potential determinants of trust in government during the pandemic. Methods: This study analysed data from the PsyCorona Survey, an international project on COVID-19 that included 23 733 participants from 23 countries (representative in age and gender distributions by country) at baseline survey and 7785 participants who also completed follow-up surveys. Specification curve analysis was used to examine concurrent associations between trust in government and self-reported behaviours. We further used structural equation model to explore potential determinants of trust in government. Multilevel linear regressions were used to examine associations between baseline trust and longitudinal behavioural changes. Results: Higher trust in government regarding COVID-19 control was significantly associated with higher adoption of health behaviours (handwashing, avoiding crowded space, self-quarantine) and prosocial behaviours in specification curve analyses (median standardised β = 0.173 and 0.229, p < 0.001). Government perceived as well organised, disseminating clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19, and perceived fairness were positively associated with trust in government (standardised β = 0.358, 0.230, 0.056, and 0.249, p < 0.01). Higher trust at baseline survey was significantly associated with lower rate of decline in health behaviours over time (p for interaction = 0.001). Conclusions: These results highlighted the importance of trust in government in the control of COVID-19.
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Purpose: This paper aims to examine consumers' behavioral intention (BI) to order food and beverage items using e-commerce during COVID-19 by incorporating trust (TRU) with the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected via an online questionnaire, and the study used a total of 306 accurate and usable responses. The population of the study includes Indian consumers. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 and AMOS 22.0. The proposed hypotheses were statistically tested. Findings: The empirical results show that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN) and trust significantly and positively influence behavioral intention, while perceived behavioral control (PBC) is insignificant. This study reveals that the proposed model explained approximately 51% of the variance in the behavioral intention. Research limitations/implications: Several theoretical and practical implications are drawn on the basis of the findings of the current study that can be used to make recommendations to e-commerce companies and help them understand the behavioral intention of consumers during COVID-19. Since the research is primarily focused on India, it is difficult to extrapolate the findings to other countries. Originality/value: To the best of researchers' knowledge, no single study was carried out in the Indian context that tested the influence of trust on the behavioral intention of ordering food and beverage items using e-commerce during COVID-19. Hence, the present study attempts to understand the factors influencing purchase intention in e-commerce and analyzes the relationship between these factors in the backdrop of COVID-19. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The rapid circulation of COVID-19 misinformation posed one of the most vexing challenges to health communication scholars and practitioners during the pandemic. Within the communication field, our response to health misinformation has often focused on shoring up public trust in scientific knowledge and amplifying institutional expertise. But this strategy of rebuilding public trust in institutions has a serious weakness: it requires the leaders of these institutions to actually behave in ways that merit trust. This essay tells the story of one such moment when the actions of university leaders threatened to undermine public faith in George Mason University's "safe return to campus" plan. The essay then discusses how a mobilized and organized faculty helped counter this threat by demanding that university leaders embrace transparency, decision-maker accountability, and a commitment to truth-telling based on science.
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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the role of trust in leaders in the relationship between dimensions of servant leadership and dimensions of organizational commitment in the information technology (IT) sector of Pakistan in post-COVID era. This paper also highlights the role of trust in leader as mediating mechanism among the examined variables. Design/methodology/approach: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to IT professional working in the IT sector of Pakistan. The sample included 283 across Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings: Results indicated that trust in a leader has a significant indirect effect on the relationship between the dimensions of servant leadership and organizational commitment. Upon further investigation, it is found that in the majority of cases, the nature of mediation is partial in nature. Whereas, it is found that trust in leader fully mediates the relationship between persuasive mapping and normative commitment. Furthermore, trust in leader is also found to be fully mediating the relationship between emotional healing and continuance commitment. Research limitations/implications: This study is limited to the geographical boundaries of Pakistan, results obtained during the course of study have limited generalizability outside the country. Originality/value: This paper aims at addressing a gap in the literature by developing a model of how trust in leader mediates the relationship between servant leadership and organizational commitment, and examine relationship between individual dimensions of servant leadership and organizational commitment. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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Politics is facing the need to make important decisions about anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in uncertain and changing contexts. With reference to the time frame between the administration of the first and second dose, the scientific evidence is still weak and comes from different contexts. New ways to collect and synthesize expert knowl-edge and opinions are needed with the direct involvement of the citizens in order to explain the uncertainties and main-tain trust in institutions and their decisions.
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Purpose: Adolescence (ages 10-19) is a sensitive developmental period for the emergence of mental and behavioral health problems, but there is a lack of multi-country qualitative studies that explore how adolescents themselves understand these critical challenges. As part of UNICEF's 2021 State of the World's Children Report, the Global Early Adolescent Study collaborated with organizations in 13 countries to hold a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) with adolescents focused on mental health. These FGDs aimed to (1) understand adolescents' perspectives on significant mental health challenges in their age group, (2) understand adolescents' perspectives on the key risk and protective factors driving these challenges, and (3) understand the ways in which adolescents cope with these challenges, including barriers and facilitators to help-seeking. Methods: A total of 71 FGDs were conducted across 13 countries between February and June of 2021. Countries were selected to ensure geographic, economic, and cultural diversity, and included: Belgium, Chile, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Within each country, FGDs were stratified by sex and age such that there were at least two younger (ages 10-14) and two older (ages 15-19) focus groups. Depending on the COVID-19 restrictions at the time, FGDs were either held in-person or online. All FGDs were held in local languages and lasted between 60 and 90 minutes. FGDs were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English when necessary. These English translations were then coded and analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Results: Across diverse cross-cultural settings, a number of consistent findings emerged from the voices of adolescents. In particular, adolescents around the world emphasized the many contexts that drive mental health challenges, including family adversity, community violence, unsupportive school environments, poverty, social media culture, and restrictive gender norms. They also discussed significant barriers to seeking help for mental health challenges, such as community stigma, lack of social support, and fears of invalidation. These barriers frequently resulted in adolescents coping with these challenges without support, often using maladaptive strategies. Importantly, adolescents generally described and understood mental health in terms of distress (e.g., sadness, loneliness, shame, anger) rather than disorder (e.g., depression, anxiety). Conclusions: Above all, it was clear that adolescents around the world need much better formal and informal supports to adequately address mental and behavioral health problems, and that these responses must take into account the many contexts that contribute to these problems. Further, the non-clinical terminology frequently used by adolescents suggests that taking a purely diagnostic approach in addressing mental health challenges may exclude many adolescents in need of assistance. Sources of Support: Wellcome Trust.
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Motivation: The urgency and scale of mass adult immunization for COVID-19 presents a huge challenge for any low- and middle-income country (LMIC) like Bangladesh. Our analysis focuses on demand-side constraints early in the vaccination campaign to help gauge vaccine acceptability and potential contributing factors. Identifying registration and compliance challenges early on will help ensure a seamless immunization programme. Purpose: We seek to identify subgroups who may need specific interventions by comparing willingness to be vaccinated and registration behaviour, and to understand how actual registration and take-up decisions compare between rural areas and urban slum areas. Approach and Methods: We use data from three surveys conducted between late January and early September 2021. The article includes a nationally representative survey on vaccine acceptability and a study on vaccination rollout behaviour in rural and urban slums. Findings: Willingness was not an issue in Bangladesh, but the challenge was getting individuals to register. Once they did, compliance was very high. When the information gap regarding registration was addressed by campaigning, registration and take-up increased. Confidence in public service delivery influenced favourable responses to mass immunization efforts. Women were falling behind initially in terms of both registration knowledge and completion. Online registration needed to be complemented with alternatives. Social networking was a vital source of information and encouragement. Policy implications: Communication strategies are necessary to inform the public at an early stage, and these should provide information about registration eligibility and detailed registration instructions. Ensuring and sustaining service quality is also beneficial. In LMICs like Bangladesh, low-tech intensive registration methods are required. Information campaigns about the registration procedure should specifically target rural communities and women. Community-based mechanisms may reduce transaction costs and increase confidence. © 2022 ODI.