Reuters reports that according to survey, a substantial majority of people around the world want their governments to prioritise saving lives over moves to restart economies being hammered by measures aimed at halting the spread of the new coronavirus.

The latest findings of the "Edelman Trust Barometer," which for two decades has polled tens of thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, challenge the notion that "lockdown fatigue" is rising among populations hit by the pandemic.

Overall, 67% of the 13,200-plus people interviewed between April 15 and April 23 agreed with the statement: "The government's highest priority should be saving as many lives as possible even if it means the economy will recover more slowly."

Just one-third backed the assertion: "It is becoming more important for the government to save jobs and restart the economy than to take every precaution to keep people safe."

The study, produced by U.S. communications company Edelman, was based on fieldwork carried out in Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Authorities in New Zealand and Vietnam have been praised for early moves to halt the spread with social distancing measures while governments in the United States, UK, Japan, Russia and elsewhere have faced criticism for a lack of preparedness.