COVID-SCORE Spain: public perceptions of key government COVID-19 control measures

Spain was initially one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In June 2020, the COVID-SCORE-10 study reported that the Spanish public's perception of their government's response to the pandemic was low. This study examines these perceptions in greater detail.

We employed an ordered logistic regression analysis using COVID-SCORE-10 data to examine the Spanish public's perception of 10 key aspects of their government's COVID-19 control measures. These included support for daily needs, mental and general health services, communication, information and coordination, which were examined by gender, age, education level, having been affected by COVID-19 and trust in government's success in addressing unexpected health threats.

'Trust in the government' showed the greatest odds of positive perception for the 10 measures studied. Odds of positive perception of communication significantly varied by gender, education level and having been affected by COVID-19, whereas for information and coordination of disease control, odds significantly varied by gender and having been affected by COVID-19. Odds of positive perception for access to mental health services significantly varied by gender and education level. Age was not significant.

Public perception of the government's pandemic response in Spain varied by socio-demographic and individual variables, particularly by reported trust in the government. Fostering public trust during health threats may improve perception of response efforts. Future efforts should tailor interventions that consider gender, education level and whether people have been affected by COVID-19.