Covid-19: A Stress Test for Trust?

To tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, governments need citizens to trust messages on behaviour change, and to support more draconian steps like lockdowns. Yet, lack of trust in public authority and a prevalence of rumours are shaping people’s responses to the virus, especially in fragile, conflict-affected places. Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research among poor and marginalised households in such areas shows how distrust causes serious problems – and how approaches tailored to local contexts can mitigate these.