Institutional Trust as a Protective Factor during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

• Published in: Behavioral sciences Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 252
• Main Authors: Li, Shuangshuang, Sun, Yijia, Jing, Jiaqi, Wang, Enna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: belief in a just world; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; fear of COVID-19; institutional trust; Pandemics; Students; subjective well-being; China; institutional trust; fear of COVID-19; belief in a just world; subjective well-being
• ISSN: 2076-328X; 2076-328X
• DOI: 10.3390/bs12080252

Previous research has demonstrated that institutional trust protects subjective well-being during pandemics. However, the potential mediation mechanisms underlying this linkage remain unclear. This study constructs a mediating model to investigate the effect of institutional trust on subjective well-being and the mediating roles of belief in a just world and fear of COVID-19 in the Chinese context. To this end, we survey a sample of 881 participants. The results show that institutional trust, belief in a just world, fear of COVID-19, and subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) are significantly interrelated. The results also indicate a significant impact of institutional trust on life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Belief in a just world and fear of COVID-19, independently and in sequence, mediate the relationship between institutional trust and subjective well-being.