Derek Thompson: “Pandemics might not initially seem to cash out in any particular political direction. After all, in the spring of 2020, one possible implication of the pandemic seemed to be that it would unite people behind a vision of collective sacrifice—or, at least, collective appreciation for health professionals, or for the effect of vaccines to reduce severe illness among adults. But political science suggests that pandemics are more likely to reduce rather than build trust in scientific authorities.”
“One cross-country analysis published by the Systemic Risk Center at the London School of Economics found that people who experience epidemics between the ages of 18 and 25 have less confidence in their scientific and political leadership. This loss of trust persists for years, even decades, in part because political ideology tends to solidify in a person’s 20s.”
“The paper certainly matches the survey evidence of young Americans. Young people who cast their first ballot in 2024 were ‘more jaded than ever about the state of American leadership,’ according to the Harvard Political Review. A 2024 analysis of Americans under 30 found the ‘lowest levels of confidence in most public institutions since the survey began.’ In the past decade alone, young Americans’ trust in the president has declined by 60 percent, while their trust in the Supreme Court, Wall Street, and Congress has declined by more than 30 percent.”
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