Study by Lithuanian Researchers: People Who Trusted Their Country’s Institutions Were More Willing to Be Vaccinated against COVID-19

A study conducted by economists Laura Galdikienė and Jūratė Jaraitė-Kažukauskė of Vilnius University and economist Agnė Kajackaitė of the University of Milan reveals that trust towards institutions is an important factor in bringing about a change in society's behaviour in the face of a major health crisis. According to the authors of the study, people who trusted their country's government, science and pharmaceutical companies were more willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Health, national defence and climate change issues are all linked to the public good. The public good is characterised by the fact that it is not possible to exclude any of the country's citizens from its benefits. For example, even if a person has not followed the management measures for a pandemic and has not been vaccinated, we cannot restrict their ability to live in a healthy environment where the deadly virus is no longer spreading. Just as there is no way to limit the ability of tax avoiders and those who reject more sustainable lifestyles to enjoy the benefits of a protected country and controlled climate change.

Without the possibility of limiting the benefits that some people receive from public goods, many may avoid making a contribution to the creation of public goods, i.e. they may choose fare evasion. Such "free-riding" in other areas can also lead to an insufficient overall contribution to the public good – for example, fewer people may choose to be vaccinated than it is necessary to effectively control a pandemic.

The phenomenon of the public good encourages researchers from different disciplines to look for solutions to tackle the "free-riding" and to achieve a socially optimal level of public goods. Mutual trust, especially between strangers, can encourage individuals to behave in a socially responsible way and increase their contribution to the public good. Similarly, trust towards institutions can reduce informational inequalities between members of the public and between institutions and help individuals to better assess the risks and benefits associated with desired behavioural changes (e.g. vaccination).

Lithuanians don't trust people they don't know personally

The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to explore public behaviour in the context of public goods and the role of trust in managing societal problems. Lithuania is particularly interesting because of its relatively low level of trust between members of society and the low level of trust towards the country's main institutions – for example, according to Eurobarometer data, the trust towards the country's parliament, political parties, and other important institutions is falling behind that of many Western European countries. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lithuania was characterised by a relatively slow COVID-19 vaccination rate, especially among the elderly population, a high level of active resistance to vaccination among a part of the population, and a particularly high rate of excess deaths.

A representative survey of the Lithuanian public in January 2021, at the height of the pandemic, showed that only 47% of Lithuania's population trusted the government, 48% trusted pharmaceutical companies and 55% trusted the health system. As many as 84% of respondents expressed trust in science, but only 38% said they trust the mass media. However, the trust in other people was even lower, with only 23% of people in Lithuania saying they trusted people they did not know personally.

Trust towards institutions increased vaccination intentions

The researchers' findings, based on the survey, showed that people who had more trust in their country's government, science and pharmaceutical companies were more inclined to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It is likely that trust towards the institutions directly involved in the development, production, regulation and safety of vaccines reduced people's fears about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and helped them to appreciate the benefits of vaccination. However, trust in strangers, the health system or the mass media was not significantly associated with vaccination intentions.

The study also revealed more factors related to people's intentions to get vaccinated. For example, women were less willing to get vaccinated than men. Individuals from larger households showed similar intentions as well. Those with higher incomes and those who reported greater fear of contracting COVID-19 were more inclined to be vaccinated. Interestingly, people who believed in misinformation, such as various conspiracy theories, showed a lower willingness to support vaccination against COVID-19. Conspiracy theories can negatively affect the perception of the threat of the virus and/or increase fears about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be coming to an end and the challenges of vaccinating the public may seem to be a thing of the past, but the results of this research remain relevant today. This study illustrates that trust towards authorities such as government, business and science is vital for changing public behaviour and effectively managing major crises. It is therefore important for institutions to understand the important role they play and to take action that can increase the public's trust in them. This is essential both to prepare for future health crises and to tackle today's challenges, especially climate change.

More information: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278060