Trust and Compliance with Covid-19 Measures among Nigerian Households

Abstract

This paper probes the relationship between sources of Covid-19 information and adherence to preventive measures in Nigeria, a context characterised by fake news, hate speech, and other forms of disinformation. While this relationship in Nigeria is relatively well studied, little discrete analytical attention has been given to the actor and platform components of information sources. Yet, it is important to consider the platforms people use when seeking Covid-19 information, the actors they trust to provide reliable information, and their compliance with preventive measures. We used data from a 1,000-household telephone survey conducted in Lagos, Nigeria to understand the relationship between information platforms and actors and adherence to Covid-19 preventive measures. We found that male and female respondents turned to similar platforms and trusted similar actors to provide reliable information, irrespective of the platforms the actors used. We also found that the trusted platforms are related to respondents’ adherence to preventive behaviours but are unrelated to their view of the trustworthiness of the Covid-19 vaccination programme. Policy actions should focus more carefully on cultivating credible information actors across formal and informal platforms to promote increased adherence to preventive behaviours and willingness to take vaccines.