Is scientific knowledge or trust responsible for preventive behaviours during COVID-19 pandemic?

BACKGROUND: When the public exhibit high levels of trust in science, adoption of new technologies becomes easier. Yet, one can note a crisis of trust in science, as declared by the UK Government in 2000, which found that lowering trust causes less public support for science. Especially in precarious situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, quick acceptance and adoption of regulations, measures and technologies are important. OBJECTIVES: To identify whether scientific knowledge or trust in science, health institutions & governments lead to preventive behaviours during COVID-19 pandemic, & greater acceptance of technologies designed to battle it. METHODS: An online public opinion survey is conducted in Germany (n1=1000) and India (n2=1000) using stratified random sampling. The questionnaire consists of 4 sections: COVID-19 knowledge, preventive behaviours during various phases of the pandemic, trust in self & institutions, and acceptance of technologies. Knowledge items are scored, and preventive behaviours are evaluated in categories. The trust section consists of imaginary scenarios in each of the components of trust - integrity, responsiveness, reliability, openness and fairness. These trust scenarios identify the level of trust in individuals, close friends & family, scientists & researchers, and the government. Correlations between knowledge scores, preventive behaviours, trust, and acceptance of technologies are explored and reported. RESULTS: It is expected that knowledge can be correlated to preventive behaviours. But, for acceptance of technologies, it is expected that trust might play a greater role rather than knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This study is unique in its design where public trust is not just a single variable but is measurable due to severable scenarios for each of the components of trust. Additionally, this study provides a direction for policy and institutional responses to future pandemics- answering whether to focus on knowledge or build more trust. KEY MESSAGES: • Online, representative public opinion surveys in Germany & India compare and contrast whether knowledge or trust is responsible for preventive behaviours and acceptance of technologies during COVID-19. • Adoption of new technologies becomes easier when public exhibit higher levels of trust. However, knowledge can be important for preventive behaviours.