Safety in the Region is an Asset

Really very interesting study on the effects of epidemics on political trust. A few notable extracts:

- "individuals who experience epidemics in their impressionable years (specifically, ages 18 to 25) display less confidence in political leaders, governments, and elections."

- " the magnitude of the effect we identify depends on the strength of the government at the time of the epidemic. When individuals experience epidemics under weak governments, the negative impact on trust is larger and more persistent. This is consistent with the idea that such governments are less capable of effectively responding to epidemics, hence leading to a long-term fall in political trust".

An interesting pull out from the conclusion of the study..."Imagine that more trust in government is important for effective containment, but that failure of containment harms trust in government.

Caribbean governments are to be commended for their response thus far. We encourage ongoing vigilance together with focused, balanced decision making that gives rise to ongoing reduction in reported cases. Safety within the region is a global asset.