… Americans traditionally voice a lot of skepticism about the government, but political scientists Chanita Intawan and Stephen P. Nicholson find that the public also has an implicit trust in authority figures, which can be activated in times of crisis. …
That may seem like an opening for permanently advancing the government’s role in the economy and society by nationalizing health care or broadening social welfare programs. But Americans’ anti-government attitudes are deeply ingrained — and some may even be accentuated by the crisis. CONT.
Matt Grossmann (Michigan State U.), FiveThirtyEight