The Covid-19 pandemic has emerged as the most serious health crisis the Middle East and North Africa region has ever witnessed. This paper addresses the capacities of states and societies to cope with the crisis and asks the following question: who is expected to best mitigate the social and economic consequences from the health crisis? The paper draws on original survey data to explore the expectations of citizens in crisis management and mitigation. We explore two rivaling expectations. For one, we consider a network hypothesis: prior research on wars and environmental disasters has shown that such exogenous shocks can expand altruism and community-level cooperation. If these findings are applicable to the Covid-19 pandemic, one would expect citizens across the Middle East to primarily resort to their social networks when they seek help. For another, we consider an accountability hypothesis: there is evidence that government responses to disasters increase post-crisis support for those governments, for instance on the ballot box, hence producing incentives for governments to provide help in exchange for political support. In this perspective, citizens would expect state authorities to ameliorate health risks and economic hardship. Tunisia and Lebanon are excellent cases to test these expectations. Unlike other Arab states, both countries have developed meaningful electoral procedures, which substantiates expectations in governmental accountability. In turn, the societies of both countries remain characterized by ethnic and religious identities, which fuels expectations in community-based assistance. This paper draws on nationally representative surveys from Lebanon and Tunisia—administered in December 2020—to systematically test these expectations. These tests will be based on quantitative methods and leverage individual responses on a battery of questions, distinguishing between central governments and local authorities, on the one hand, and family members, religious leaders, and traditional leaders, on the other hand. The paper will provide a comparative account not only of the two countries under investigation, but also of different social strata and political communities across Lebanon and Tunisia.