Who Australasians trusted during COVID-19: lessons from the pandemic response

Public trust in authoritative information sources is a key element of a successful public health response to a pandemic. This study investigated which sources of COVID-19 advice were most trusted by a primarily New Zealand-based cohort and considers implications for policy and practice regarding future pandemics.

Data were from a COVID-19 vaccine intention survey presented to Australia- and New Zealand-based members of the longitudinal Dunedin Study (n=832) between ages 48 and 49, immediately before vaccines became available for the general population within New Zealand. We assessed participants' trust in specific sources of COVID-19 advice and investigated whether the pattern of responses differed by sex, socio-economic status (SES) or education.

Doctors and healthcare providers were the most trusted source of COVID-19 advice, over and above other institutional sources. This pattern was consistent across sex, SES and education. Institutional experts were trusted significantly more by those with higher SES compared to those with lower SES, and by those with formal qualifications compared to those without formal qualifications.

Our findings suggest that it is important to empower healthcare providers early in a pandemic to share advice with the public alongside other trusted sources, such as the government.