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How Trust Makes a Difference: The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life Satisfaction in Germany

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  • Felix Bittmann

    (Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories)

Abstract

The extraordinary COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most severe disruptions of human life since the end of World War II, even in rich and industrialized countries like Germany. The introduction of a rather comprehensive “lockdown” and the restriction of multiple basic civil rights have affected the population in many areas of life, like employment, economic prosperity, health and trust in public institutions. The question arises how life satisfaction is influenced by these measures in detail and whether there are interactions between institutional trust, life satisfaction and time of crisis. Fixed-effect regression analyses using German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) data demonstrate that life satisfaction has fallen sharply after the onset of the crisis and that interaction effects with institutional trust are present. Individuals with low levels of pre-crisis trust in institutions like the government, courts or the media report a stronger decrease of satisfaction than individuals with higher levels of trust. We believe that these results are relevant to explain the role of institutions in times of crisis and might serve as foundations for interventions to strengthen trust and increase overall satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Felix Bittmann, 2022. "How Trust Makes a Difference: The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life Satisfaction in Germany," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1389-1405, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:17:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11482-021-09956-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-021-09956-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Sarracino & Kelsey J. O’Connor, 2023. "Neo-humanism and COVID-19: Opportunities for a socially and environmentally sustainable world," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 9-41, February.
    2. Tamás Hajdu & Judit Krekó & Csaba G. Tóth, 2023. "Inequalities in regional excess mortality and life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2316, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    3. Khadija Shams & Alexander Kadow, 2023. "COVID-19 and Subjective Well-Being in Urban Pakistan in the Beginning of the Pandemic: A Socio-Economic Analysis," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 93-113, February.
    4. Kanu Priya Mohan & Narisara Peungposop & Pranav Kalra, 2023. "Psychosocial Influences on Coping and Wellbeing during the Covid-19 Lockdown in the Early Days of the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 163-193, February.
    5. Jan Delhey & Stephanie Hess & Klaus Boehnke & Franziska Deutsch & Jan Eichhorn & Ulrich Kühnen & Christian Welzel, 2023. "Life Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Human, Economic, Social, and Psychological Capital," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(7), pages 2201-2222, October.
    6. Liliane Lins-Kusterer & Carolina Franco Azevedo & Eduardo Martins Netto & Marta Silva Menezes & Carolina Villa Nova Aguiar & Roberto Almeida Azevedo & Weber Ceo Cavalcante & Viviane Almeida Sarmento &, 2023. "Impact of Anxiety on Health-Related Quality of Life and Symptoms of Burnout in Multi-Professional Residents in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 229-247, February.
    7. Zirong Ren & Guoan Yue & Weilong Xiao & Qinghui Fan, 2022. "The Influence of Subjective Socioeconomic Status on Life Satisfaction: The Chain Mediating Role of Social Equity and Social Trust," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-10, November.
    8. Israel Escudero-Castillo & Fco. Javier Mato-Díaz & Ana Rodríguez-Alvarez, 2023. "Psychological Well-Being during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Labour Market and Gender Implications," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 71-91, February.
    9. Martijn J. Burger & Ruut Veenhoven, 2023. "Editorial: Special Issue on Subjective Well-being and Mental Health in the Early Days of COVID-19," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 1-8, February.
    10. Philipp Handschuh & Jacqueline Kroh & Markus Nester, 2024. "The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life Satisfaction: Does Social Belonging Matter as a Mechanism and are There Differences by Age?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 1-43, December.
    11. Catalina Nicolás-Martínez & María Concepción Pérez-Cárceles & Prudencio José Riquelme-Perea & Carmen María Verde-Martín, 2024. "Are Cities Decisive for Life Satisfaction? A Structural Equation Model for the European Population," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 174(3), pages 1025-1051, September.
    12. Patzina, Alex & Collischon, Matthias & Kroh, Jacqueline, 2023. "The Gendered Effects of COVID-19 on Well-being: A Household Perspective," SocArXiv h2fa7, Center for Open Science.

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