The effect of institutional trust on the relationship between social media as an information resource and policy non-compliance: Dutch survey evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic
基于荷兰调查数据，发现将社交媒体视为重要信息来源的公民更不遵守防疫政策且不愿接种疫苗，这种关系在制度信任低的群体中更强，提示政府应同时打击虚假信息和提升制度信任。
The abundance of information on social media, partly conflicting with government information, might negatively affect citizens’ compliance with policies. Based on Dutch representative survey data from the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that citizens who ranked social media as a more important information resource were generally less compliant with COVID-19 measures and less willing to get vaccinated. A higher ranking of social media is more strongly associated with non-compliance among citizens with lower levels of institutional trust. Based on these findings, we suggest that efforts to encourage compliance should focus not only on countering misinformation, but also on enhancing institutional trust. Points for practitioners Citizens who ranked social media as a more important information resource on COVID-19 were less compliant with government COVID-19 measures and less willing to get vaccinated. This relationship was strongest among citizens with low levels of trust in the institutions of government involved in managing the pandemic. To enhance compliance with policy measures, government efforts should focus not only on countering misinformation, but also on enhancing trust in government institutions.