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COVID-19 infection induces higher trust in strangers

Author

Listed:
  • Diego Gambetta

    (a Collegio Carlo Alberto, 10122 Turin, Italy)

  • Davide Morisi

    (a Collegio Carlo Alberto, 10122 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic went global in a few months, caused millions of deaths, and is destroying the livelihood of countless people. This paper tries to discover whether the pandemic is destroying our social fabric too. Most research has found that natural catastrophes result in an increase of trust and cooperativeness. But what about a catastrophe whose diffusion occurs by contact with other people? Contemporaneous accounts of previous pestilences describe them as damaging social relations. Yet, surprisingly, among the general population in Italy, interpersonal trust increased relative to prepandemic levels, and those who caught COVID-19 increased their trust in strangers. This effect seems ephemeral, however, as it declines as people become free of the infection.

Suggested Citation

  • Diego Gambetta & Davide Morisi, 2022. "COVID-19 infection induces higher trust in strangers," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 119(32), pages 2116818119-, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:119:y:2022:p:e2116818119
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Rita Graziani & Lucia Botindari & Michela Menegatti & Silvia Moscatelli, 2023. "Adaptive Coping Strategies at the Time of COVID-19: The Role of Social and General Trust," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(15), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Chunli Wei & Qingqing Li & Ziyi Lian & Yijun Luo & Shiqing Song & Hong Chen, 2022. "Variation in Public Trust, Perceived Societal Fairness, and Well-Being before and after COVID-19 Onset—Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Hamza Umer, 2023. "A selected literature review of the effect of Covid-19 on preferences," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 9(1), pages 147-156, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; trust; natural threats;
    All these keywords.

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