Abstract The public's perception of the government's trustworthiness is a pivotal indicator of its efficiency when responding to a crisis; this perception plays a critical role in promoting the public's adoption of preventive measures in emergencies. This study explores whether the public tends to support a big government as an active intervener or a small government as a limited regulator. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms linking attitudes toward government interventions with changes in perceptions of the government's trustworthiness. This research uses data from the 2021 China General Social Survey (CGSS) to conduct an in‐depth analysis of attitudes toward government interventions and their impact on public perceptions of the government's trustworthiness. This study reveals the following results. (1) Under normal circumstances and during crises, attitudes toward government interventions are positively correlated with changes in perceptions of the government's trustworthiness. (2) Attitudes toward government interventions during crises serve as a mediating factor between the general attitudes toward government interventions and changes in perceptions of the government's trustworthiness. (3) Risk perception plays a moderating role and has a strengthening effect in the relationship between the attitudes toward government interventions during crises and the changes in perceptions of the government's trustworthiness. This research establishes a moderated mediation model, offering novel insights into the relationship between attitudes toward government interventions and perceptions of government trustworthiness, and provides valuable implications for governments to enhance public trust during crises.
Lang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.