Perceived legitimacy of antipandemic measures: Findings from west and East Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis.

Abstract

This interdisciplinary study examines the cross-cultural differences between the perceived legitimacy of antipandemic measures during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis in three Central European countries and four independent samples (West Germany, East Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia). A total of 2,752 participants completed a newly developed seven-item scale that inquired whether governmental regulations were perceived as fair, justified, and based on science and whether the government considered citizens’ needs and the interests of their country, etc. The analysis was done within the structural equation modeling framework. Scalar measurement invariance was successfully established between the studied countries, and a subsequent latent means comparison supported the hypothesis that German respondents would report higher legitimacy of the governmental antipandemic regulations than respondents from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Additionally, as expected, the participants from the new German Länder (former East Germany) also manifested a consistent tendency to view governmental regulations as less legitimate than their Western fellow citizens. The results are discussed in terms of normative factors (i.e., the qualities of the authority which adopted the antipandemic measures, the qualities of the procedure through which these measures were adopted, and the qualities of the measures themselves), psycho-socio-cultural factors (e.g., postcommunist syndrome), and the influence of demographic variables.

University students' and lecturers' perceived stress and satisfaction with life during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The role of personality traits and self‐efficacy

“…During this period, the Czech government, operating as a minority government with support from the Communist Party, faced strong opposition that effectively prevented the extension of a state of emergency. This led to rapidly changing and often confusing anti‐pandemic measures, which were met with low perceived legitimacy among citizens (Lacko et al., 2023). These changes significantly impacted higher education as well.…”

Toward a multidimensional model of legitimacy: Validation of the Traffic Rules Perceived Legitimacy scale.

“…The relevance of the concept of legitimacy in explaining and prompting compliance with rules and recommendations is found in different fields such as legal socialization and citizen–police relations (Trinkner & Reisig, 2021), crime prevention (Lee & Park, 2022), compliance with medication (Stevenson et al, 2002), compliance with antipandemic measures (Lacko et al, 2023), or compliance with traffic rules (Varet et al, 2021). In these different fields, some recent contributions have highlighted several issues and challenges related to the definition and measurement of legitimacy, in particular a significant variability in the definition and measurement of legitimacy which limits the comparability between studies and thus the accumulation of theoretical knowledge and the development of applications (Hough et al, 2013; Jackson, 2018; Jackson & Gau, 2016; Lacko et al, 2023; Van Petegem et al, 2021; Varet et al, 2021; Walters & Bolger, 2019). For example, several concepts such as the obligation to obey, moral alignment, perceived effectiveness, and procedural justice are positioned differently in relation to legitimacy from one study to another.…”

“…For example, several concepts such as the obligation to obey, moral alignment, perceived effectiveness, and procedural justice are positioned differently in relation to legitimacy from one study to another. They can be considered as being components of legitimacy, as distinct but related concepts, or as causes or consequences of legitimacy (Lacko et al, 2023; Varet et al, 2021). These issues need to be addressed because rule violations in different areas of daily life can represent societal issues, for example for safety, health, or community life.…”

Towards a Multidimensional Model of Legitimacy: Validation of the Traffic Rules Perceived Legitimacy scale

“…The relevance of the concept of legitimacy in explaining and prompting compliance with rules and recommendations is found in different fields such as legal socialization and citizen-police relations (Trinkner & Reisig, 2021), crime prevention (Lee & Park, 2021), compliance with medication (Stevenson et al, 2002), compliance with anti-pandemic measures (Lacko et al, 2023), or compliance with traffic rules (Varet et al, 2021). In these different fields, some recent contributions have highlighted several issues and challenges related to the definition and measurement of legitimacy, in particular a significant variability in the definition and measurement of legitimacy which limits the comparability between studies and thus the accumulation of theoretical knowledge and the development of applications (Hough et al, 2013;Jackson, 2018;Jackson and Gau, 2016;Lacko et al al., 2023;Van Petegem et al, 2021;Varet et al, 2021;Walters & Bolger, 2019). For example, several concepts such as the obligation to obey, moral alignment, perceived effectiveness, and procedural justice are positioned differently in relation to legitimacy from one study to another.…”

“…For example, several concepts such as the obligation to obey, moral alignment, perceived effectiveness, and procedural justice are positioned differently in relation to legitimacy from one study to another. They can be considered as being components of legitimacy, as distinct but related concepts, or as causes or consequences of legitimacy (Lacko et al, 2023;Varet et al, 2021).…”