Where is the criticism of the Corona-measures at its greatest?
Although a majority of the population the measures to mitigate the Corona is in favour of crisis, there was also here a critique of the Lock-Down. What is behind this criticism, and how strong criticism in different States was examined by Professor Marc Oliver Rieger, University of Trier, and Professor Mei Wang, WHU – Otto-Beisheim-School of Management.
The level of satisfaction with the Corona-measures is internationally very differently. Criticism of the measures can go in both directions: “the one to complain about hard interventions, others complain of inadequate measures,” reports the University of Trier. In particular, the criticism of tough cuts are often accompanied by conspiracy theories.
Global Survey
The research team evaluated data from a global survey, the between the 20. March and the 22. April was carried out in 2020 with more than 100,000 Participants. On the basis of the data Prof. Wang and Prof. Rieger tried to identify the perception of government actions by the population. For 57 countries, an appropriate evaluation was performed.
Very high level of satisfaction in Vietnam, Qatar and new Zealand
There are significant differences in the criticism in the individual countries, where a great deal of dissatisfaction, for example, in Thailand, Venezuela, and Russia, whereas, for example, the people in Vietnam, Qatar and new Zealand are very satisfied with the communication from the University of Trier. Germany is to rank somewhere in this ranking in the upper midfield.
Well-measured-to-day operations
The information provided by the researchers, according to a high level of satisfaction is especially evident where the actions of the governments “as well dosed, not too strong and not too weak to be felt.” In the present critique will depend on the respective position is used, however, often a different scale for evaluation.
What is the criticism?
Those who have perceived the measures as too lenient, have to rely mostly on facts, and in particular, the number of deaths. The criticism from the other in the direction of these points was, however, rather a small importance. Here, personal characteristics played rather a role in whether the government were valued measures, critical or not, according to the research team. For example, it will be with increasing education, the less likely that a Person adopts the government’s reaction as too strong to be true.
Connection with conspiracy theories?
Furthermore, the researchers noted in a separate survey, that the perception of the government depends on actions with the Believe in conspiracy theories together. So two-thirds would not have shown among those who feel that the measures in Germany as too strong a tendency to conspiracy theories, while those who found the measures too strong, tended once a quarter to conspiracy theories.
“Of course, not every critic should be in the drawer `conspiracy theorists put. Our study shows, however, that the majority of the critics of strong restrictions, in fact, has a tendency to conspiracy theories,“ said Marc Oliver Rieger and Mei Wang in the press release of the University of Trier. (fp)