Coronavirus: who the public trust on the pandemic - Thursday 18 February 2021 - King's ...
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Coronavirus: who the public
trust on the pandemic
Thursday 18 February 2021
Supported by:
Introduction
This report includes findings from a survey of 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 by There is also a link with different behaviours and beliefs related to the crisis:
the University of Bristol and King’s College London, conducted between 21
November and 22 December 2020. • 35% of people who say they trust David Icke on the pandemic report arguing
with friends or family about getting a coronavirus vaccine – three and a half
The research finds that there are big differences in who is trusted on coronavirus times higher than the 10% of the general public who say the same. Those
and the response to it. Aside from the leaders of Scotland and Wales – who are who trust Icke are also more than five times as likely to say they’re no longer
trusted on coronavirus by a majority of those in their respective countries – only speaking to a loved one because of disagreements about getting vaccinated
Chris Whitty (62%) and Patrick Vallance (60%) are trusted by more than half the (28% vs 5%). The same pattern is seen, albeit to a lesser extent, with trust in
UK on the crisis and response. other lockdown-sceptic commentators, such as Laurence Fox.
Trust in those who doubt the necessity of lockdown measures to combat • Those who say they trust David Icke on coronavirus (56%) are more than
coronavirus – such as Nigel Farage (17%) and Laurence Fox (15%) – is lower, twice as likely as the population overall (27%) to believe the real truth about
although around one in seven say they trust them on the pandemic. the pandemic is being kept from the public. Trusting lockdown sceptics such
as Denise Welch (47%), Nigel Farage (45%) and Laurence Fox (44%) is also
Trust is lowest in conspiracy theorist David Icke – who has spread misinformation associated with a much greater likelihood of believing this.
about coronavirus vaccines – with one in 11 (9%) reporting that they trust him on
the virus. Ethnic minorities (20%) are twice as likely as white people (8%) to say Finally, which professions people trust more generally, and their views of the UK
they trust Icke on this issue. government, are also associated with different vaccine intentions.
Trust in certain sceptics is associated with some forms of vaccine hesitancy: The minorities of the population who say they don’t trust otherwise well-regarded
groups have high levels of vaccine hesitancy. For example, those who say they
• 40% of those who trust David Icke on the pandemic say they’re certain or very do not trust doctors and nurses (21%) are less than half as likely as the
likely to get a coronavirus vaccine – much lower than the proportions who say population overall (55%) to say they’re certain or very likely to get a coronavirus
the same among those who trust Keir Starmer (68%), Patrick Vallance (68%), vaccine.
Chris Whitty (67%) and Boris Johnson (64%).
And among those who say they trust the information provided by the UK
• Half (52%) of those who trust David Icke say that opposition to vaccines in government on coronavirus a great deal, 74% are certain or very likely to get a
general is very or fairly likely to persuade them not to get vaccinated against vaccine against coronavirus – compared with 36% of those who say they have no
coronavirus, as do significant minorities of people who trust other lockdown trust in this information.
sceptics such as Denise Welch (40%), Laurence Fox (33%) and Nigel Farage
(31%). By contrast, 15% of the population overall say opposition to vaccines
could deter them.
How trust in public figures is linked to beliefs about coronavirus and vaccines
Aside from the leaders of Scotland To what extent, if at all, do you trust the following people on issues related to
and Wales – who are trusted on coronavirus and how we should be responding to it?
coronavirus by a majority of those in
their respective countries – only Chris
A great A fair Not very Not
Whitty (62%) and Patrick Vallance
deal amount much at all
(60%) are trusted by more than half
the UK on the crisis and response.
Nicola Sturgeon [SCOTLAND ONLY] 33% 34% 14% 16%
They come far ahead of the leaders
of the two main political parties, Chris Whitty 23% 38% 16% 10%
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (38%)
and Keir Starmer (34%).
Patrick Vallance 21% 39% 14% 10%
Trust in those who doubt the
necessity of lockdown measures to Mark Drakeford [WALES ONLY] 20% 36% 20% 18%
combat coronavirus – such as Nigel
Farage (17%) and Laurence Fox
(15%) – is lower still, although around Boris Johnson 10% 28% 27% 30%
one in seven say they trust them on
the pandemic. Keir Starmer 7% 27% 29% 22%
Trust is lowest in conspiracy theorist Piers Morgan 4% 19% 26% 39%
David Icke – who has spread
misinformation about coronavirus
vaccines – with one in 11 (9%) Nigel Farage 5% 12% 20% 51%
reporting that they trust him on the
virus and response to it. Laurence Fox 4%11% 19% 33%
Some figures differ from charts due to Denise Welch 2%10% 21% 33%
rounding.
David Icke 3%6% 14% 50%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020There is an ethnic divide in % who trust the following people a great deal or fair amount on
levels of trust in some public coronavirus and how we should be responding to it
figures on coronavirus and
the response to it. White ethnic groups Other ethnic groups
White people are more
likely than ethnic minorities 63%
to say they trust Chris Chris Whitty
49%
Whitty and Patrick Vallance 61%
on the pandemic. Patrick Vallance
49%
And while levels of trust in 39%
Boris Johnson
32%
various lockdown sceptics
are similar across Keir Starmer 34%
36%
ethnicities, those from
ethnic minorities (20%) are Piers Morgan 23%
26%
twice as likely as those from
17%
white ethnic backgrounds Nigel Farage
18%
(8%) to say they trust David
15%
Icke. Laurence Fox
19%
Denise Welch 12%
18%
David Icke 8%
20%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Likelihood of getting % who say they are a certain or very likely to get a coronavirus vaccine
vaccinated against
coronavirus varies with trust Trust a great deal or fair
in different public figures. amount on coronavirus…
People who say they trust
Keir Starmer (68%), Patrick Total 55%
Vallance (68%), Chris Whitty
(67%) and Boris Johnson Keir Starmer 68%
(64%) on the pandemic are
more likely than the public Patrick Vallance 68%
overall (55%) to say they’re
certain or very likely to get a Chris Whitty 67%
coronavirus vaccine.
Boris Johnson 64%
And while, by comparison,
people who trust various Piers Morgan 56%
lockdown sceptics are less
likely to say they’ll get
Laurence Fox 52%
vaccinated, it is only among
those who trust David Icke
Denise Welch 52%
(40%) where a minority say
they’re certain or very likely to
Nigel Farage 51%
get a vaccine.
David Icke 40%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020People who trust % who say opposition to vaccines in general is very or fairly likely to persuade
lockdown sceptics are them not to take the coronavirus vaccine if one was made available
also much more likely to Trust a great deal or fair
say that opposition to amount on coronavirus…
vaccines in general could
persuade them not to get Total 15%
vaccinated against
David Icke 52%
coronavirus.
Half (52%) of those who Denise Welch 40%
trust David Icke on the Laurence Fox 33%
pandemic say this is a
possibility, as do Nigel Farage 31%
significant minorities of
Piers Morgan 26%
people who trust other
sceptics such as Denise Keir Starmer 17%
Welch (40%), Laurence
Fox (33%) and Nigel Boris Johnson 17%
Farage (31%).
Chris Whitty 13%
Patrick Vallance 12%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Trust in some lockdown sceptics is % who have had arguments or fallen out with
linked with a much higher
likelihood of being involved in others over getting a coronavirus vaccine
disputes about getting vaccinated.
Had arguments with friends or No longer speaking to a friend or family
35% of people who say they trust family members about getting member because of disagreements about
David Icke on the pandemic report vaccinated against coronavirus getting vaccinated against coronavirus
arguing with friends or family about
getting a coronavirus vaccine –
three and a half times higher than
the 10% of the general public who Trust a great deal or fair
say the same. Those who trust amount on coronavirus…
Icke are also more than five times
as likely to say they’re no longer
speaking to a loved one because 35%
of disagreements about getting
vaccinated.
28%
The same pattern is seen, albeit to
a lesser extent, with trust in other 22%23% 22%
lockdown-sceptic commentators, 19% 20%
such as Laurence Fox. People 18% 17%
who trust him are twice as likely as
13% 13% 12%
the population overall to have
10% 10% 10% 10%
argued about the vaccine and 8%
almost four times as likely to no 5% 6% 6%
longer be on speaking terms with
someone because of it.
Total David Icke Denise Laurence Nigel Piers Keir Boris Patrick Chris
Welch Fox Farage Morgan Starmer Johnson Vallance Whitty
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Those who say they trust David % who believe the real truth about coronavirus is being kept from the public
Icke on coronavirus (56%) are
more than twice as likely as the
population overall (27%) to believe Trust a great deal or fair
the real truth about the pandemic amount on coronavirus…
is being kept from the public.
Trusting lockdown sceptics such Total 27%
as Denise Welch (47%), Nigel
Farage (45%) and Laurence Fox David Icke 56%
(44%) is also associated with a
much greater likelihood of
Denise Welch 47%
believing this.
And while Piers Morgan has Nigel Farage 45%
different views on the pandemic
and the measures needed to
Laurence Fox 44%
control it, people who trust him are
more likely to have this conspiracy
suspicion, too. Piers Morgan 38%
By contrast, those who trust
political leaders and government Boris Johnson 22%
scientific experts such as Chris
Whitty (18%) are much less likely Keir Starmer 21%
to believe a cover-up is taking
place. Patrick Vallance 18%
Chris Whitty 18%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020The same dynamic can % who believe the authorities want us to think that
be seen when it comes coronavirus is much more dangerous than it really is
to belief in the conspiracy
claim that the authorities Trust a great deal or fair
amount on coronavirus…
want us to think
coronavirus is far more Total 20%
dangerous than it really
is, with those who trust David Icke 45%
lockdown sceptics much
Nigel Farage 37%
more likely than the
public overall to believe Laurence Fox 35%
this is true.
Denise Welch 33%
Piers Morgan 25%
Boris Johnson 17%
Keir Starmer 14%
Patrick Vallance 11%
Chris Whitty 11%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Believing that the % who believe the government is deliberately allowing vulnerable people to die
government is
deliberately letting the Trust a great deal or fair
amount on coronavirus…
vulnerable die is also
linked with greater trust
Total 19%
in lockdown sceptics.
For example, while 11% David Icke 40%
of those who trust Boris Denise Welch 30%
Johnson on the
pandemic think this is Laurence Fox 27%
true, 40% of those who
Piers Morgan 26%
trust David Icke and 30%
of those who trust Denise Nigel Farage 25%
Welch believe it.
Keir Starmer 17%
Patrick Vallance 13%
Chris Whitty 12%
Boris Johnson 11%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020How trust in different professions and government is linked to vaccine hesitancy
Doctors and nurses are by To what extent, if at all, do you trust the following?
far the most trusted group in
the UK, with 92% having A great A fair Not very Not
confidence in them. deal amount much at all
Various types of scientists Doctors and nurses in the UK 59% 33% 5%
1%
also command high levels
of trust, and the Scottish
Scientists working at universities in the UK 42% 45% 8%2%
(67%) and Welsh (63%)
governments are trusted by
significant majorities of Scientists working with the government in the UK 31% 47% 14% 5%
people in their respective
nations. Scientists working at private companies in the UK 24% 53% 15% 4%
The UK government (44%) The Scottish government [SCOTLAND ONLY] 27% 40% 19% 13%
is trusted far less by
comparison, but journalists
The Welsh government [WALES ONLY] 24% 39% 25% 10%
come bottom of the ranking,
trusted by a third of the
country (33%). The people in your neighbourhood 8% 47% 31% 8%
Some figures differ from charts due to The UK government 9% 35% 34% 21%
rounding.
Journalists in the UK 3% 29% 44% 21%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Across different ethnicities, % who trust the following groups a great deal or fair amount
there are relatively similar
levels of trust in doctors and White ethnic groups Other ethnic groups
nurses, scientists working at
universities and scientists
working with the UK 93%
Doctors and nurses in the UK
government. 86%
But there is more of a 87%
difference when it comes to Scientists working at universities in the UK
80%
scientists working at private
companies, who are trusted 79%
Scientists working with the government in the UK
by 77% of white people and 71%
66% of ethnic minorities.
77%
Of the different groups Scientists working at private companies in the UK
66%
listed, it is only journalists in
the UK who are trusted 56%
The people in your neighbourhood
more by ethnic minorities 54%
(45%) than they are by
white people (32%) 44%
The UK government
43%
32%
Journalists in the UK
45%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020The minorities of the % who say they are a certain or very likely to get a coronavirus vaccine
population who say they
don’t trust otherwise well- Do not trust very
much or at all…
regarded groups have
high levels of vaccine
hesitancy. Total 55%
For example, those who
say they do not trust
Scientists working at private companies in the UK 31%
doctors and nurses
(21%) are less than half
as likely as the
Scientists working with the government in the UK 28%
population overall (54%)
to say they’re certain or
very likely to get a
coronavirus vaccine. Doctors and nurses in the UK 21%
Scientists working at universities in the UK 21%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Trust in government is % who say they are certain or very likely to get a coronavirus vaccine
linked with a greater Trust the information provided by
likelihood of getting the UK government on coronavirus
vaccinated.
Trust a great deal 74%
Among those who say
they trust the information Trust a fair amount 61%
provided by the UK Do not trust very much 49%
government on
coronavirus a great deal, Do not trust at all 36%
74% are certain or very
likely to get a vaccine
% who say they are a certain or very likely to get a coronavirus vaccine
against coronavirus –
compared with 36% of Trust the UK government to
control the spread of the virus
those who say they do
not trust this information Trust a great deal 74%
at all.
Trust a fair amount 62%
Do not trust very much 50%
Do not trust at all 47%
Base: 4,860 UK residents aged 18-75 interviewed online, 21 November and 22 December 2020Daniel Allington Siobhan McAndrew
Senior Lecturer in Social and Senior Lecturer in
Cultural Artificial Intelligence Quantitative Social
King’s College London Science
University of Bristol
Bobby Duffy
Director George Murkin
The Policy Institute Acting Head of
King’s College London Communications
The Policy Institute
Vivienne Moxham-Hall King’s College London
Research Associate
The Policy Institute
King’s College London
@policyatkings www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/policy-instituteYou can also read
