Lack Of Trust In Institutions Research Articles

Using Behavior Integration to Identify Barriers and Motivators for COVID-19 Vaccination and Build a Vaccine Demand and Confidence Strategy in Southeastern Europe

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health, with Eastern Europe experiencing notable excess morbidity and mortality and vaccine hesitancy. This study utilized the Behavior Integration (BI) framework to identify barriers and motivators for COVID-19 vaccination and develop strategies to increase vaccine demand and confidence in Moldova, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Methods. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. The BI framework was used to integrate human behaviors with technical and operational considerations throughout the project. Results. A total of 2742 online surveys were collected in Moldova and Serbia, revealing significant barriers such as vaccine safety concerns (OR = 1.839, 95% CI: 1.328–2.547 in urban Moldova; OR = 1.990, 95% CI: 1.351–2.931 in urban Serbia), logistical challenges, and lack of institutional trust. Conversely, motivators included personal health concerns, recommendations from health care providers, and the desire to travel. The proposed social and behavior change strategy included a continuing medical education course that trained 2403 medical providers, with post-test results showing a 99% improvement in knowledge and confidence in applying the information, and collective engagement workshops for 3260 chronic disease patients and 842 pregnant women, of which 7% were vaccinated against COVID-19. Conclusions. The BI approach effectively identified and addressed vaccination barriers and motivators, leading to tailored strategies that increased vaccine uptake. Continuous stakeholder engagement, adaptive learning processes, and local organizations are crucial for refining program implementation, ensuring sustainability, and promoting public health.

Public Willingness to Mask and Vaccinate in the Future: Results From a 2023 Nationally Representative Survey of US Adults.

The enduring spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses highlights a need for greater focus on long-term public willingness to perform protective behaviors. Although COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern, it is unknown whether people in the United States plan to continue protective behaviors to protect themselves and others against infection. To inform planning and communications, we used a nationally representative survey of 1,936 US adults to examine attitudes and intentions toward future vaccination and mask-wearing. A majority believed COVID-19 vaccines were safe (73%) and effective in protecting against serious illness (72%). One-third (33%) had strong intentions to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine most years in the future. Among those with weaker intentions (n=1,287), many cited concerns about safety (71%) and efficacy (64%), lack of trust in institutions (64%), or beliefs that prior vaccination or infection protected them (62%). Approximately two-thirds (69%) of respondents believed masks were effective in protecting the wearer from getting COVID-19, and a majority appeared moderately receptive to future public mask-wearing, particularly when there was proximate risk of infection from COVID-19 (67%) or other respiratory viruses (59%). Men, non-Hispanic White adults, younger adults, rural residents, and adults with higher incomes, without college degrees, and without serious medical conditions or physical limitations were more likely to indicate resistance toward future COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask-wearing. Findings support tailored messaging to address concerns and opportunities among different populations, as well as support for communications programs and community engagement to motivate future uptake.

People’s decisions matter: an empirical examination of behavioral contributors of poverty

ABSTRACT The study empirically examines the role of behavioral factors in the perpetuation of poverty through a comparison of the behavior of poor and nonpoor household members across five major dimensions. The study found evidence supporting the presence of suboptimal decision-making among poor in the surveyed region. The poor were found to indulge in irrational spending patterns and have higher present bias, risk-aversion, lower aspirations, lack of institutional trust, and gender bias than nonpoor persons. This becomes a cause of a vicious cycle of poverty. Targeting these problematic behavioral tendencies of poor individuals can help provide a low-cost solution for sustainable reduction of the magnitude of poverty.

Social acceptance of district heating: evidence from the Netherlands

AbstractThe Netherlands Climate Change Agreement aims to reduce CO2 emissions and seismic events by halting natural gas usage by 2050. This will require widespread societal acceptance by 90% of households. The study investigates the social acceptance of a district heating network (DHN) among social housing tenants in Haarlem, Netherlands. The findings of a survey administered to ninety-five tenants revealed a substantial level of support for the DHN project. A significant portion of respondents, 75%, expressed their approval for the DHN, surpassing the legally required threshold of 70% for implementing building retrofits. Findings imply that although the participants possess an adequate comprehension of the rationale for energy transition, their familiarity with the precise particulars and practical information pertaining to the proposed transition to DHN is inadequate. The level of trust in housing corporations, energy providers, and the municipality is uniformly low, indicating a lack of institutional trust. Generally, the interpersonal trust among tenants tends to be lower than their trust in the broader public, which in turn restricts their capacity for self-organization and exercising influence over energy institutions. Although DHNs are typically regarded as environmentally friendly and secure, there are several challenges that need to be addressed, including the uncertainty about who will cover the costs of transitioning and the doubts surrounding DHN feasibility (warmth and reliability). We suggest implementing interventions to improve tenants' comprehension of the DHN project's particulars (capability), provide practical information regarding costs and feasibility (motivation), and foster trust at both interpersonal and institutional levels (opportunity).

Assessing Multidimensional Vulnerability of Rural Areas to Flooding: An Index-Based Approach

Vulnerability assessment is essential for understanding and launching effective flood risk reduction strategies. This study aimed to examine the vulnerability of flood-prone rural communities in southern Punjab, Pakistan to external shocks. The concept of vulnerability encompasses a range of dimensions, including physical, social, institutional, environmental, economic, and attitudinal. Using a composite index method, indices were developed for each dimension and combined to create a multidimensional measure of vulnerability. A sample of 365 communities was selected using the Yamane sampling technique, and data were collected through a questionnaire containing 65 indicators across all dimensions. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA tests were used to analyze the data. The results show that communities near the Chenab River had higher attitudinal and institutional vulnerability compared to other communities. High attitudinal vulnerabilities were associated with poorly perceived flood risks and low preparedness measures, whereas institutional vulnerabilities were driven by conventional flood protection strategies, lack of institutional trust, and lack of flood risk awareness. This research provides insights into the various components of vulnerability in flood-prone rural communities in Pakistan and demonstrates a useful methodology that can be applied to other disasters at different spatial scales.

Cultural and social support explanations of the native-migrant gap in the use of day care for pre-school children

ABSTRACT Migrant families are generally less likely to use nonparental care for their pre-school-age children than native families. The few studies that have systematically examined the determinants of centre-based care (day care) for migrants have often zoomed in on the migrant population and have not made comparisons with natives nor have they decomposed the migrant-native gap. This paper presents a mediation analysis with an elaborate set of measures conceptually categorised into cultural and social support explanations. Using nationally representative survey data on Dutch parents with origins in Muslim countries and a comparison group of parents with Dutch origins (natives), this paper shows large and growing gaps in the enrolment of 0–4-year old’s in subsidised day care even after controlling for differences in working hours, income, and education. A substantial part of the gap could be explained by cultural differences, particularly the more traditional attitudes toward marriage and family and the higher levels of religiosity among migrants. Of the cultural effects, a lack of trust in institutions appeared to play no role. Social support explanations that rely on alternative sources of support for child care were less important and differences in neighbourhood cohesion served as a suppressor of the gap.

Convenient Fires and Floods and Impossible Archival Imaginaries

This article concerns one notable feature of narratives around child welfare records: the prevalence of stories of records destroyed in natural disasters. These stories have the power to rouse strong emotions for people who grew up in institutional “care.” Care Leavers, many of whom have a justifiable lack of trust in institutions and authority as a result of their childhood experiences, are skeptical about the supposed loss of their records in fires and floods. They remain suspicious that the records do exist but are being withheld to protect the reputations of the institutions. This article considers Gilliland and Caswell’s notion of “archival imaginaries” in the context of missing, lost, or inaccessible child welfare records in Australia. The authors argue for an approach to describing these records that is not only person centred but also trauma-informed. The article presents two case studies that demonstrate the potential of applying this approach when describing records supposedly destroyed by fires and floods. Descriptions need to document the full story of the records, whether they materially exist or not, in a way that validates and acknowledges Care Leavers’ strong feelings about records and demonstrates archival organizations’ commitment to remediating the damage and hurt caused by past practices.

Perceptions of Corruption and Informality Among Businesspeople

Abstract This research assesses perception of corruption in business-to-business and business-to-government interactions by using empirical evidence from Serbia. Based on the survey data, it captures the perceptions of corruption of business owners and managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and examines their attitudes towards informal, licit, or illicit, business practices. The typology of SMEs according to their opinion on corruption- and institutional-related obstacles resulted in three different clusters, based on several variables. Moreover, empirical findings show that business is not much hindered by regulations but with a common lack of trust in institutions, crime, and perceived corruption. SMEs are perceived as particularly affected by a negative corrupt environment where large companies are seen as the source of corruption. The findings allow for the creation of lawful and incorruptible business policies, as well as ideas on preventing the common practice of illicit trading with job positions in the public sector.

Explanations Underlying the Lack of Utility of Diagnostic Depression Scales in Black Americans

Major depression disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. However, Black Americans are often underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or not treated for depression. Limited research has been conducted on the utility of diagnostic tools in identifying depression in the Black community and could explain lack of research and public health attention to mental illness in this population. Other explanations discussed include greater ability to cope with stressful situations and the myth of the ‘resiliency expectation,’ social activism and positive health outcomes, and lack of trust in institutions due to structural and interpersonal racism. Further research that provides contextualized results is warranted to better understand and recognize symptoms of depression, and development of more effective treatment modalities. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2022;52(12):504–508.]

Social acceptance of NIMBY facilities: A comparative study between public acceptance and the social license to operate analytical frameworks

Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) facilities play a significant role globally in the sustainable and healthy development of countries, and their successful introduction and operation has become increasingly critically influenced by local communities. Two mainstream research approaches have been proposed to enhance this, in the form of a “public acceptance” (PA) framework and a “social license to operate” (SLO) framework. However, the outcomes of social acceptance within the two approaches in typical NIMBY facilities in China have not been examined empirically. In response, this study introduces the emerging SLO framework, and discusses its applicability to the NIMBY facilities by a comparative analysis with PA, based on a questionnaire survey of residents (with a final sample size of 94) adjacent to a typical waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration plant located in Zhejiang province, China. The results show that, firstly, social acceptance assessed under the two frameworks is similar. Second, the community acceptance of Jiufeng case measured by SLO is non-linear and multi-dimensional, and there is a lack of institutional trust. Third, the viability of SLO is constrained by its social vulnerability and may occur through collective protests. These findings theoretically enrich the existing literature concerning social acceptance assessment and management of the dynamic industry-community relationships involved in the provision of NIMBY facilities. The findings will also be of practical value for government agencies and industrial sectors in gaining the social license needed from local communities.

How to increase landowners’ participation in land consolidation: Evidence from North Macedonia

Land consolidation is a well-proven land management instrument traditionally used for farm restructuring. A land consolidation project’s success depends to a large extent on the interest and willingness of landowners and communities to participate in the project. Here, local governments and responsible agencies can contribute to the higher motivation of landowners if the factors influencing the landowners' readiness to participate are known and appropriately addressed. Building on qualitative and quantitative data collected from landowners’ interviews in 10 municipalities in North Macedonia during 2019, this article provides insights into the individual factors influencing landowners’ readiness to participate in land consolidation and behavioural factors at both individual and social level determining negative attitude towards land consolidation. The article further identifies possible incentives, techniques, and nudges to increase landowners’ participation in land consolidation.Low economic interest, adversarial and non-cooperative attitude, lack of trust in institutions, fear of manipulation, and the belief that the process will be unjust, are the top subjective reasons landowners are not interested in participating in land consolidation. The regression analysis results revealed that the age of a landowner, plans to pass land to children, the sufficiency of information and the number of parcels forming a holding have a statistically significant relationship with the readiness to participate in land consolidation.

Ethnic disparities in fertility care: causes and solutions

Despite advances in fertility treatment, there are major ethnic disparities in access to and outcome of fertility care in many countries. For example, Black and Asian women in the UK have significantly lower IVF birth rates than White and Mixed ethnic groups. There is a multitude of causes for ethnic inequalities in fertility care, including systemic, cultural and biological. Lack of infertility knowledge, language barriers, racial discrimination and lack of institutional trust cause access barriers, significant delays in obtaining treatment and higher dropout during and following unsuccessful fertility treatment. Furthermore, some ethnic minority women have a higher burden of diseases such as diabetes and uterine and tubal pathologies. Mitigating these disparities requires concerted effort to improve timely presentation, diagnosis and referral and attention to systemic drivers such as socioeconomic disadvantage amongst certain ethnic minority groups.

Towards the Regional Aspects of Institutional Trust and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Institutional trust is considered to be vital for social and economic activity and is also crucial in reducing uncertainty for entrepreneurs and society. To shed light on the role of institutional trust and determine the extent to which entrepreneurial activity is productive or destructive, this paper analyses the impact of six distinct urban EEs using the contexts of the transition economies of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia. This paper posits that the paucity of formal institutions and lack of institutional trust in the context of transition countries may inhibit productive entrepreneurship and affect entrepreneurs’ decision-making. Using a mixed-method approach, this study pursues the research question: what role does institutional trust play in the relationship between formal institutions and productive entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurial ecosystems of transition economies? Our dataset includes 657 respondents (ecosystem stakeholders) from six city-level entrepreneurial ecosystems in the transition economies of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, as well as 51 semi-structured interviews from EE representative stakeholders to examine the validity of our findings. Our results suggest that institutional trust and formal institutions should be considered as complementary for a better understanding of their impact on productive entrepreneurship.

Good Intentions Gone Awry: Government Intervention and Multistakeholder Engagement in a Frontier Market

How to achieve sustainable communities with decent work and economic growth without negative environmental impact, is at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and a top priority of many governments around the world. This article critically explores the role of government intervention for achieving sustainable local prosperity in frontier markets of developing countries, where such advancement is especially crucial. More specifically, we explore by an in-depth case study how multiple stakeholders cooperate to enhance local development and export from firms in the leather and leather products industry in Ethiopia. From a multistakeholder engagement perspective, including representatives of local businesses, United Nations, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and other development partners, we analyze how government interventions have resulted in unintended outcomes despite their good intention. We contribute with a new understanding of why development initiatives in frontier markets struggle with stakeholder integration, caused by power asymmetry and lack of institutional trust which prevents the achievements of sustainable development goals. Contextualized implications for firms, government, and non-governmental actors on how to improve collaboration are provided, and policy implications are proposed.

Producer Organisations in an Export-Oriented Value Chain: What Motivates Small-Scale Farmers in Kosovo to Collaborate?

Abstract Producer organisations bear great potential to link small-scale farmers to markets. In post-communist economies, historically negative attitudes towards cooperatives are blamed as barriers to collaboration, but little is known about the broader range of motives to (not) cooperate. We use a structural equation model to analyse cooperation intentions in Kosovo’s emerging export-oriented raspberry sector. In this context, negative images surrounding cooperation seem to belong to the past. Widespread positive attitudes towards joining producer organisations were driven by the wish to facilitate farm commercialisation. The most substantial influence on cooperation intentions came from the norms passed on by the family and farm advisory services. Yet, results beyond the econometric model show that a lack of information and knowledge and lack of institutional trust, mainly doubts about the feasibility of producer organisations, could hinder their spread and success.

Perceptions of the Coronavirus and COVID-19 testing and vaccination in Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrant communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley

BackgroundA novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (known as COVID-19), spread rapidly around the world, affecting all and creating an ongoing global pandemic. Across the United States, Latinx and Indigenous populations have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 cases and death rates. An examination of the perceptions and beliefs about the spread of the virus, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination amongst racial-ethnic minority groups, specifically Latinx and Indigenous Latin American immigrant communities, is needed to alleviate the widespread disparity in new cases and deaths.MethodsThis study was carried out from August 2020 to January 2021 and used community-based participatory research to engage community partners and build the capacity of community health workers (i.e., promotores de salud) and pre-medical and medical students in conducting qualitative research. The objective of the study was to examine the structural and social determinants of health on perceptions of the coronavirus, its spread, and decisions around COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Data collection included ethnography involving observations in public settings and focus groups with members of Latinx and Indigenous Mexican farm-working communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley, located in the Inland Southern California desert region. A total of seven focus groups, six in Spanish and one in Purépecha, with a total of 55 participants were conducted. Topics covered include perceptions of the coronavirus and its spread, as well as COVID-19 testing and vaccination.ResultsUsing theme identification techniques, the findings identify structural and social factors that underly perceptions held by Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrants about the virus and COVID-19, which, in turn, shape attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Common themes that emerged across focus groups include misinformation, lack of trust in institutions, and insecurity around employment and residency.ConclusionsThis immigrant population is structurally vulnerable to historical and present-day inequalities that put them at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure, morbidity, and mortality. Study findings indicate a significant need for interventions that decrease structural vulnerabilities by addressing issues of (dis)trust in government and public health among this population.

Want But Do Not Need : The Kalipare Village Community's Response to the COVID-19 Vaccine Program in Malang Regency

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 is still ongoing after nearly two years. The hope that the pandemic will be over soon is beginning to emerge. The successful development of a COVID-19 vaccine is one of the efforts to combat the pandemic. Vaccination programs that are available to the general public do not always run smoothly. The vaccination program was overshadowed by a number of issues and polemics. The purpose of this research is to see how the community reacts to the COVID-19 vaccination program. Data was collected using ethnographic research methods in Kalipare Village, Malang Regency, between October and November 2021. Random informants and interviews were conducted on members of the community and health professionals. The analysis was carried out by categorizing the data related to the community's fear, willingness, or doubt in participating in this program. According to the findings of this research, public rejection, fear, and doubt occur as a result of: a lack of public confidence in the vaccine's effects; a lack of trust in institutions; and the assumption that vaccines can cause illness and death. Typically, research on vaccine scepticism is followed by a refusal to participate in the program, but the findings of this research show the opposite. People continue to participate in the vaccination program despite their lack of faith, doubt, and fear.

Challenges of civil society organizations in tourism in Algeria: a civil participation approach

This paper aims to investigate the challenges civil society organizations are facing in Algeria, with a special focus on tourism development. On basis of a stakeholder approach and the Gramscian notion of civil society as a field of ideological competition, the study investigates the main features of tourism associations along with the obstacles hindering their proper performance. The backbone of the study is formed by a detailed qualitative investigation that includes in-depth interviews with fifteen governmental and non-governmental institutions related to tourism in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria, as well as the analysis of secondary materials like media reports, press releases, laws, and statistics. The findings reveal three main challenges that limit the role of tourism associations in Algeria. These challenges are closely related to three factors: (1) Legislation, more specifically the laws on associations that hinder the proper work of associations. (2) The Algerian political regime and its merely tyrannical relationship with civil society organizations, which the regime seeks to dominate in order to control civil society, instead of considering them as potential partners in fixing actual challenges for tourism development. (3) Socio-cultural factors, especially the lack of trust in institutions, which makes a great part of society unwilling to get involved in civil society organizations.

Broken Trust. Confidence Gaps and Distrust in Latin America

Latin American societies show lower levels of political trust when compared to other regions of the world. The lack of trust in institutions can led to ineffective management of public affairs, social crises, lack of transparency, economic problems and even difficulties in countering pandemics. The objective of this work is to build an index (LADI) that provides a measure of the level of perceived distrust in the institutions of the different Latin American countries and its variations over the period from 2008 to 2018. The data used for this analysis are of a subjective nature and come from the series of surveys provided by Latinobarómetro. To develop the analysis, we have used a quantitative approach of a partially non-compensatory aggregative type, known as Adjusted Mazziotta and Pareto Index. The results show a generalized increase of distrust in the years 2017 and 2018 for several Latin American countries. On the other hand, in countries where the rule of law is more consolidated, a best perception of the functioning of democracy emerges.

ReOpen demands as public health threat: a sociotechnical framework for understanding the stickiness of misinformation

In the absence of a national, coordinated, response to COVID-19, state and local representatives had to create and enforce individualized plans to protect their constituents. Alongside the challenge of trying to curb the virus, public health officials also had to contend with the spread of false information. This problematic content often contradicted safeguards, like masks, while promoting unverified and potentially lethal treatments. One of the most active groups denying the threat of COVID is The Reopen the States Movement. By combining qualitative content analysis with ethnographic observations of public ReOpen groups on Facebook, this paper provides a better understanding of the central narratives circulating among ReOpen members and the information they relied on to support their arguments. Grounded in notions of individualism and self-inquiry, members sought to reinterpret datasets to downplay the threat of COVID and suggest public safety workarounds. When the platform tried to flag problematic content, lack of institutional trust had members doubting the validity of the fact-checkers, highlight the tight connection between misinformation and epistemology.