Revolution, Covid-19, and War in Armenia: Impacts on Various Forms of Trust

What is it about?

Ups and Downs of Public Trust: A Government that Lost a War and Von an Election._x000D_ _x000D_ People's trust in each other and in state institutions can be influenced by dramatic events in one's country. Armenia (a small country in South Caucasus) had three such dramatic events in three years: a peaceful mass uprising resulting in a democratic revolution, the Covid-19 pandemic and a war. How did these upheavals influence the reservoir of trust in the country? Our study shows that people's ability to trust each other has barely been affected. However their trust towards the most visible political and state institutions changed visibly. The people-power movement that led to government change in 2018 boosted public trust in many political, state and social institutions. The pandemic led to an initial "rally-around-the-flag" sentiment of support and approval of government's actions. But the gains turned to losses as the country faced and lost a war with its neighboring Azerbaijan. Surprisingly, the government that lost the war, von the post-war snap elections. Our data shows that pre-war gains in trust outweigh the post-war erosion of trust. This might partially explain how a government that lost a war won a democratic re-election.

Featured Image