In this article, we examine public perceptions of the importance of different levels of government and of nongovernmental entities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. By analyzing the case of COVID-19, we illuminate patterns that may be helpful for understanding public perceptions of the response to a broader range of crises, including the impacts of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other hazards. We contribute to the public policy literature on public perceptions of government response to crises and expand it to include consideration of the role of nonstate actors. Drawing on a representative survey of 1200 registered voters in Texas, we find that individuals are more likely to view government as extremely important to respond to the pandemic than nonstate actors. We find that perceptions of the role of state and nonstate actors are shaped by risk perception, political ideology and religion, gender, and race/ethnicity. We do not find evidence that direct impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic consistently shape perceptions of the role of state and nonstate actors.

中文翻译：

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公众对政府和非国家行为者在应对 COVID-19 中的作用的看法

在本文中，我们考察了公众对各级政府和非政府实体在应对 COVID-19 大流行方面的重要性的看法。通过分析 COVID-19 的案例，我们阐明了可能有助于了解公众对更广泛危机的反应的看法，包括飓风、龙卷风、地震、野火和其他灾害的影响。我们为有关公众对政府应对危机的看法的公共政策文献做出贡献，并将其扩展到包括考虑非国家行为者的作用。根据对德克萨斯州 1200 名登记选民的代表性调查，我们发现与非国家行为者相比，个人更有可能认为政府对应对这一流行病极为重要。我们发现，对国家和非国家行为者角色的认知受到风险认知、政治意识形态和宗教、性别和种族/民族的影响。我们没有发现证据表明 COVID-19 大流行的直接影响始终如一地塑造对国家和非国家行为者角色的看法。