Trust in State and Society during the Corona Crisis (June/July 2020)

The representative survey examines the trust of the German-speaking population aged 18 and over in the state and society during the Corona crisis (COVID-19). The survey wave conducted in June/July builds on a first survey wave in April 2020.

The survey focused on the respondents´ attitudes towards the state and trust in institutions, towards actors, measures and expectations in the Corona crisis (COVID-19), their image of society and assessment of cohesion, their personal state of mind and experiences in the Corona crisis as well as media use.

Topics: Greatest personal burden or restriction due to the Corona crisis (1. naming, 2. naming); trust in institutions (courts, science and research, churches, police, federal government, politicians, media); satisfaction with democracy; democracy as the best form of government for Germany; attitude towards the welfare state principle; social lines of conflict: strength of conflicts between different social groups (rich and poor, employers and employees, young and old, foreigners and Germans, East Germans and West Germans, women and men); strength of conflicts between left-wing political forces and right-wing political forces in Germany; right persons in leading positions in Germany; agreement with statements about the state and politics (the state is interfering too much in our lives in the Corona crisis, citizens are well informed by politics about the current measures in the Corona crisis, politics in Germany is doing most things right in dealing with the Corona crisis, the state´s financial aid is distributed fairly overall, people no longer know which measures and rules are currently in place); advocacy of separate regulations in the Corona crisis by federal states, counties and independent cities vs. rather nationwide uniform regulations; assessment of the federal government´s support measures for companies and businesses, for employees in health and care facilities, to protect the health of the population as well as for the economic situation of the population; assessment of the various measures and regulations to limit the Corona pandemic (excessive, not tough enough, just right); assessment of others´ judgement of the Corona measures; expectation of a second wave with high infection figures; consequences for public life in the event of a second wave; extent of perceived restrictions in one´s own life due to the Corona crisis; effects of the Corona crisis on one´s own financial situation; personal experience with authorities and institutions in the context of the Corona crisis (health authorities, employment agency, authorities responsible for subsidies and support from the economy, police or public order office in the case of a check to ensure compliance with the Corona measures) and evaluation of this experience; assessment of the cohesion in society in the context of the Corona crisis; expected continuation of the greater or lesser cohesion in society even in the case of a second wave of Corona measures; assessment of the cohesion in society in the context of the Corona crisis; media use: frequency of use of TV, radio and newspapers for news and information about Corona; assessment of this information as rather correct or rather not correct; party sympathy; life satisfaction; optimism about the future.

Demography: sex; age (classified); education: school-leaving qualification or intended school-leaving qualification; university degree; occupation; job security; system-relevant occupation (police, security service, fire brigade, in the health sector or similar); occupational status; household size; number of persons in the household aged 18 and over; German citizenship.

Additionally coded were: Respondent ID; federal state; Berlin East/West; city size; weighting factors; information for dual-frame weighting: frame: reached via mobile or fixed network; number of fixed network numbers and mobile numbers via which one can be reached; mobile only: reached at home or elsewhere; reached via an additional fixed network number (home zone or home option) on the mobile phone; fixed network connection in the household; additional mobile phone number; fixed network only: mobile phone ownership.