When comparing the different sides of Europe, surveys conducted by the World Values Survey find that residents who trust their government and fellow citizens the most are the ones living in the north-west area. In Romania, only 7% of the population trust fellow citizens whilst in Italy the trust percentage is much higher, 30% and in Sweden it is 60%. In 2018, The European Social Survey also did a study where they asked the population to rate their trust in politicians on a scale of 1-10. The results were as follows: the Dutch averaged 5.4, the French and Germans 4.2 and the Poles 3.1.
The difference in numbers and countries reflect the sociocultural differences. Countries who trust their government and society more are correlated with greater wealth and well-being and less crime. Generally speaking, those with high trust rates are enforced by less strict regulations and low trust rate countries like Romania are facing harsh regulations.
During and after Romania being led by a dictator, Romanians were suspicious of each other and institutions. Now in response to covis-19, the government has declared a state of emergency even before the country's first death case. Other low-trust eastern European countries like Serbia, Greece and other Balkan states have also imposed strict rules. Even though responses are severe it has helped limit the spread in that area.
Meanwhile high-trust countries like the Netherlands and Sweden are experiencing a much less harsh response. Though schools and restaurants are closed in the Netherlands, citizens are still allowed to enjoy the outdoors. Prime minister Mark Rutte says "people are treated like adults, not as children''. In Sweden there is no lockdown as schools and restaurants are still open.Swedeish historian Lars Tragardh calls this 'freedom under responsibility'. However the death rate in the Netherlands is nearly 5 times higher than Romania.
During epidemics, trust has its benefits and risks. Low-trust countries have responded better than some wealthier countries like Italy and Spain as they are among the top in the world in terms of number of cases. Ultimately, the government is not all to blame for this as thousands of civilians fail to comply with the rules. Practicing social distancing is significant for everyone no matter where.
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