How the effect of trust and other factors on rule compliance changes over time during the COVID-19 crisis

Extant literature shows convincing evidence that there is a positive relationship between trust and rule compliance. This effect is seen in two different strands of research: during normal, non-crisis times and in times of crisis. There is, however, very little research that combines these different strands and traces how the relationship between trust and rule compliance changes over time, especially during a major international crisis. In this study we integrate these strands of literature, formulating hypotheses to test whether trust and other relevant drivers - fear, (rule) legitimacy, pro-socialness and observed other people’s compliance (social contagion) - impact rule compliance during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.