Trends in trust of professional groups in Portugal during COVID-19

Autores da FMUP

• Miguel Bernardo Ricou Da Costa Macedo

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Marina, S
• Pereira, T
• Pereira, HP
• Picoli, R
• Rodrigues Fernandes, H

Unidades de investigação

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina da Comunidade, Informação e Decisão em Saúde

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

We repeated a Portuguese study, 5 months after a first evaluation, to observe any change in the average levels of trust of professional groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. From our sample of the Portuguese population, 1455 completed the questionnaire from June through September 2020, and 1156 during 2 months, February and March 2021. We found a trend toward higher trust of medical doctors, nurses, and researchers. Analysis of changes between the two pandemic periods (first and second lockdown) showed a statistically significant increase in trust in nurses (t = - 2.01; p = 0.04) and researchers (t = - 2.40; p = 0.02), and the opposite trend for journalists and politicians. This study shows a trend in increasing trust of the Portuguese people toward science-based activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• COVID-19; Trust; Professions; Portuguese population