Raising the flag in times of COVID- 19
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2021-06-24
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en
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Abstract
By comparing the levels of Prime Minister’s approval and trust in government of the same individuals in 2020 and 2021, this study examines one of the most important political consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, namely, whether the pandemic sparked the rally-round-the-flag phenomenon in the Netherlands. Subsequently, this thesis investigates the individual diversity in the rally-round-the-flag effect. By using OLS multiple regression analyses, it determines which types of individuals experienced the rally-round-the-flag effect during the COVID-19 crisis in the Netherlands, and why people differ in their levels of individual rallies. The results of the analyses produce three conclusions. Firstly, the data confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a national rally-round-the-flag effect in the Netherlands. Secondly, I found evidence that voters for a coalition party had the most substantial rallies, followed by voters for the relatively less critical opposition and in turn followed by voters for the critical opposition. Thirdly, I conclude that economic position does not explain the individual diversity in the rally effect generated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, but our mediation models do indicate that citizens whose economic insecurity increased during the pandemic, had a significantly smaller increase in Prime Minister’s approval and governmental trust.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen