Open Access

Elena Marchesi

• The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly reshaped many aspects of society worldwide, including public trust in science and journalism. This thesis investigates both reasons and demographic factors (e.g., age, education, political orientation, etc.) influencing these trust dynamics as a result of the pandemic. Two countries with distinct cultural and socioeconomical differences are considered: Germany and Nigeria. Through a mixed-methods analysis of a pre-tested, pre-registered, cross-sectional online survey conducted in Germany and Nigeria in February 2023, several patterns are identified. The COVID-19 pandemic drove an increase in trust in science in both countries, while a marginal increase in trust in journalism was observed in Nigeria and a substantial decrease in Germany; this decline affected all demographics in the latter country. The thesis concludes with an outlook on further research. This includes conducting follow-up interviews to additionally explore reasons behind reported trust changes as well as the relationship between demographic factors and trust levels; performing a larger-scale survey with the aim of statistical significance and generalisability is further recommended.