Critical to public acceptance of, and adherence to, the advice and decisions of medical and political leaders in the pandemic crisis is that citizens trust in these individuals and their communications. Compliance with requests and policies that necessitate personal cost and sacrifice is the behavioral outcome of a complex internal psychological dynamic, but the process is significantly moderated by the perceived trustworthiness of the leader making the appeal. This research programme, utilising three interconnected research packages, seeks to:
Identify the key aspects of leadership speeches during the crisis (and yet to come) that influence (or fail to influence) listener emotional reactions, thought processes and personal decision making and motivation.
Launch an immediate longitudinal study of a representative national sample, surveyed each month which captures on-going trust and compliance as well as insights on the psychological experience of social distancing, home-life adjustments, work-life adjustments, psychological well-being and health as the population contends with significantly altered life circumstances. Many of the longitudinal sample respondents will have experienced quarantine, social isolation, endured and overcame the virus, lost loved ones, worked in stressful frontline roles. Month by month, insights will be analyzed to produce immediate insight reports on different societal groups to provide intelligence for proactive planning of health and psychological resources to meet the emergent needs of our population over the coming months and years.
The integrating thread bridging these three packages is understanding the psychological processes that influence citizens’ trust decisions and how these decisions influence behavior and their experience of unfolding life events over the coming year, delivering insights on future psychological and health needs as a result of the traumatic experience of Covid19.
