Impact of Institutional Performance and Integrity on Public Trust during COVID-19: A Retrospective Examination in the Arabic Context

AbstractPurpose This study examines trust in public sector institutions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact factors.Methodology A survey was administered to a convenience sample of 1,372 local and expatriate residents in the United Arab Emirates during 2022–2023. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were utilized.Findings There was a high level of general public trust among respondents (mean = 4.11), with the highest trust in the police (mean = 4.21) followed by trust in the information disseminated by the government (mean = 4.06) and in the performance of public sector institutions (mean = 3.89). On the bivariate and multivariate levels, demographic variables had an insignificant impact on public trust. General trust was significantly correlated with institutional performance (β = 0.417), institutional integrity (β = 0.397), perceived gains (β = 0.378), and government-disseminated information (β = 0.374).Implications Public trust is a complex reality linked to numerous organizational and nonorganizational factors. Improving public trust requires enhancing ethical conduct—crucial for maintaining trust—as well as good governance practices and leadership behavior.Limitations The sample size and quantitative focus might have limited the generalizability of the findings. In the future, researchers should use in-depth interviews or mixed methodologies.Keywords: Trustpublic sector COVID-19UAEmultiple linear regression AcknowledgmentsThanks are extended to the editorial team and the reviewers.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the United Arab Emirates University under the UAEU Program for Advanced Research (UPAR-2280-G00004171) and under United Arab Emirates University Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SurePlus-2115-G00003924).