Trust in government during the pandemic: gender aspect

Abstract

The article examines the differences in the choice of behavioral patterns based on social trust and distrust of men and women. The essence of the problem under consideration is that so far few researchers have studied mistrust as a phenomenon characteristic of Russians, and practically no one has considered the difference in the character of trust / distrust for men and women and the influence of these indicators on the level of socio-psychological well-being of the population and, as a consequence, on social tension in society, if we consider this problem in terms of trust and distrust to the authorities. Here are the studies that were conducted in December 2020 in the city of St. Petersburg, regarding these issues. A study of changes in trust showed that in the northern capital от Russia, the level of mistrust for the federal government among women increased much more than among men, and a small excursion into history and analogies with revolutionary situations of the past make one think about the stability of the current system and the need for the authorities to make serious efforts to resolve an explosive situation. This situation is especially evident in St. Petersburg, because the unpopular actions of local authorities during the pandemic created the prerequisites for the fact that it was on the shoulders of women that the main burden fell, when it was necessary to actually independently educate children, continue to work in new conditions and practically fully support the life of the whole family in harsh conditions of isolation and psychological and informational pressure. Analyzing the research data and the situation in general, this article concludes that in the current difficult conditions the authorities should pay more attention to the position of women and increase targeted support measures to improve the socio-psychological well-being of the population.