Public attitude towards government financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to study public attitudes towards government provision of financial support. By focusing on Taiwan, we find that financial concern is a crucial determinant in explaining public attitudes towards government financial support, and trust in government capacity to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic effectively moderates the impact of financial concerns. We conclude that trust in government capacity is not only the key to the legitimacy of government financial support, but also helps mitigate citizens’ sense of economic insecurity and uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis.