More trust in central government during the COVID-19 pandemic? Citizens’ emotional reactions, government performance, and trust in governments

Abstract

In the COVID-19 crisis, the spectrum of emotional responses among citizens, encompassing both positive and negative reactions, holds the potential to significantly sway public trust in the government. However, the impact of government performance on the interplay between citizen' emotional reactions and trust in the government is not well understood. Drawing upon the trust repair framework, we analyze data from China gathered during the pandemic to investigate the moderating and reparative functions of government performance. The results showed that: Government trust increases as positive emotions increase and negative emotions diminish. Government performance positively moderates the relationship between the emotional reactions of citizens and government trust. Citizens’ trust in the government during the pandemic showed a “strong central, weak local” pattern. Additionally, local government performance exhibits a more pronounced restorative effect compared to the central government. Policy implications are proposed to assist policymakers in enhancing public trust in the government.