Early news coverage in the US about the COVID-19 pandemic focused on information released from local, state and federal government officials. With an emphasis on US government at these levels, this study examined whether the public’s credibility perceptions and trust in government, along with message exposure, influenced their adherence to information from the government about (a) stay-at-home orders, (b) social distancing and (c) COVID-19 testing. Source credibility theory and situational crisis communication theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Through the survey data analysis, we investigated communication preferences in the wake of the pandemic and whether credibility perceptions differed according to the level of government. Survey findings revealed that message exposure influenced respondents’ perceived credibility of and trust in government officials during and after the stay-at-home order. Finally, practical implications regarding recommended communication strategies based on the findings were discussed.

在美国，有关COVID-19大流行的早期新闻报道着重于地方，州和联邦政府官员发布的信息。本研究着重于这些级别的美国政府，研究了公众对政府的信誉认知和信任以及消息的公开程度是否影响了他们对政府关于（a）在家定单，（b）的信息的坚持。社交距离和（c）COVID-19测试。来源可信度理论和情境危机传播理论为这项研究提供了理论框架。通过调查数据分析，我们调查了大流行之后的沟通偏好，以及根据政府级别对信誉的看法是否有所不同。调查结果显示，在家中和在家中或之后，信息暴露会影响受访者对政府官员的可信度和信任度。最后，讨论了有关基于发现的推荐交流策略的实际含义。