Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the government's response to the COVID-19 crisis is considered effective as it protected people's lives with limited affectations to the society and the economy.A key factor for achieving these results was the focus on collective goals, grounded in the high-trust relationship that exists between New Zealanders and their public institutions.Still, high levels of trust should not be taken for granted.As new challenges emerge and old ones reappear, people in New Zealand expect the government to build on the lessons from the pandemic to improve service delivery and the resilience of public institutions.As is the case for many other countries, the economic context in New Zealand is deteriorating,…