Trust and risk at the time of the pandemic

Abstract

The uncertainty, threats and risks are unavoidable aspects of human existence. The response to them is trust, the expectation of beneficial, future actions of others (individuals, institutions, organizations). Risk and trust take unique forms during pandemic. Risk is global, universal, hard to assess and attached to common, everyday actions. Trust, the bridge over the abyss of uncertainty, is directed toward three addressees: the government, medicine (medical science, services and products), and the other members of society. For each category the expectations are different. These theoretical considerations are applied and illustrated by the brief history of the pandemic in Poland.