Distrustful Complacency and Compliance with Coronavirus Prevention Measures in the United States and Across the World

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/d3jtn_v1
• Publication Date: 2025-03-28T05:23:20Z
• Authors: Quinnehtukqut McL...; Stylianos Syropoulos; Kyle Fiore Law; Bernhard Leidner; Maarten Johannes ...; Paola Paladino; Daniel Rovenpor; Anna Baumert; Michał Bilewicz; Arda Bilgen; Armand Chatard; Peggy Chekroun; Juana Chinchilla; Hoon-Seok Choi; Hyun Euh; Angel Gomez; Peter Kardos; Khoo Ying Hooi; Mengyao Li; Jean-Baptiste Légal; Steve Loughnan; Silvia Mari; Roseann Tan-Mansu...; Orla Muldoon; Masi Noor; Nebojsa Petrovic; Hema Preya Selvan...; Özden Melis Uluğ; Michael Jeremy Ad...; Victoria Yeung; Kevin Lloyd Young; Rizqy Amelia Zein
• Keywords: Coronavirus; 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Evidence suggests low concern for infection and political trust amplified non-compliance with preventative measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. We build upon clarify these findings. In Study 1, we assessed how widely patterns generalize while accounting effects of scientific using an 18-nation dataset representative panel samples (N=18,509). Studies 2a-2b focused specifically on U.S., a highly polarized environment in which populist leader advanced conflicting information from consensus, to investigate whether high qualified negative relationships between trusting such compliance. All studies found broad support prior findings, even trust. revealed that Trump were associated less compliance, controlling rendered interaction non-significant. These findings contextualize broader risks distrustful complacency poses respect public health behavior, particularly when government opposes consensus.