Trust Norms, Distrust, and Worst‐Case Defiance in the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract

When pandemics threaten, governments are expected to protect citizens. Trustworthiness and trust are central to meeting public expectations. Motivational posturing theory differentiates resistant and dismissive defiance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. While trust is central to responding to resistant defiance, it is less relevant for dismissive defiance. Dismissive defiance is associated with distrust, conceptualized as losing hope that trust norms will restore trust. Using multiple linear regression and path analysis of Australian survey data, pathways are identified to resistant defiance and dismissive defiance. Hypotheses are confirmed, but with some unexpected insights. Trust in government and medical experts dampens both resistant and dismissive defiance. Intervening variables on the resistant defiance pathway include disagreement with government COVID decisions and vaccine hesitancy. On the dismissive defiance pathway, intervening variables include poor information seeking on COVID and poor adherence to COVID‐safe behaviors. Resistant and dismissive defiance, while related, require different approaches to trust building.