A study of trust in scientists with nearly 72,000 survey respondents ranks Australia fifth and New Zealand ninth out of 68 countries. Trust was ‘moderately high’ globally, but varied between regions—for example, right-wing politics in Western nations were linked with lower trust in scientists. The researchers found a link between populism and low trust in science, but didn’t find evidence for higher trust being linked to science literacy and national education spending. While public perception of scientific integrity was high and people generally wanted scientists to be involved with policymaking, respondents were less convinced of scientists’ openness. The authors recommend genuine dialogue between scientists and their communities, and caution that lack of trust among even a small minority can influence evidence-based policymaking and change public opinion, especially if the minority includes policymakers and receives high media coverage.
Journal/conference: Nature Human Behaviour
Research: Paper
Organisation/s: Macquarie University, The University of Western Australia, The University of New South Wales, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Tasmania, University of Otago, The Australian National University, La Trobe University, University of Waikato, The University of Melbourne
Funder: Open access funding provided by Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology Zurich.
Media release
From: Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism study – New Zealand collaborators
Kiwis Show High Trust in Scientists – Global Study
Aotearoa New Zealand ranks 9th in the world for trusting scientists, according to an international study published this week in Nature Human Behaviour.
Despite widespread claims of a “crisis of trust” in science, a global study finds that most people hold relatively high levels of trust in scientists. Most people in both Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and overseas also believe that scientists should play a greater role in society and policymaking.
“These findings confirm that the NZ public trusts scientists and believes scientists should work with politicians to inform policymaking, which aligns with the current government’s commitment to evidence-based decisions,” affirms NZ co-author Prof Taciano Milfont from the University of Waikato’s School of Psychological and Social Sciences.
The study, part of the TISP Many Labs initiative, surveyed over 70,000 people across 68 countries, including 2000 New Zealanders, offers unprecedented insights into public attitudes toward science. Globally, the results reveal that trust in scientists is high, with an average trust level of 3.62 on a scale from 1 (very low trust) to 5 (very high trust).
How New Zealand compares to Other Countries
While respondents in Albania, Kazakhstan and Bolivia had the lowest levels of trust in scientists, those in Egypt had the highest levels of trust globally with a 4.30 score, followed by respondents in India and Nigeria.
In New Zealand, the mean trust level was 3.88, placing the country 9th overall and behind Australia placed 5th with a 3.91 score. Australian and NZ respondents, along with those from the United States, United Kingdom and China, had higher-than-average trust in scientists, whereas respondents in Germany, Hong Kong and Japan had lower-than-average trust.
“This is the largest global study conducted on trust in science since the Covid-19 Pandemic,” says co-author Gina Grimshaw of the School of Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington.
“The pandemic brought scientific information – and misinformation – into our daily lives as it had not been before. Many of the issues it raised, such as health behaviours, isolation, and vaccination became contentious issues. Despite some very vocal criticisms of science and science-led policies during the pandemic, trust in the broader population remains high”.
Scientists Expected to Engage
The study also asked New Zealanders about the role scientists should play in society and politics. An overwhelming 79% of New Zealand respondents agreed that scientists need to communicate their work to the public. Additionally, 62% agreed that scientists should work closely with policymakers to integrate scientific findings into decision-making.
These findings show that New Zealanders expect scientists to take an active role in sharing and applying their findings. “Science communication tends to be more effective when scientists engage in meaningful dialogue and discussion with the communities they work alongside,” says co-author Laura Kranz from the School of Science in Society at Victoria University of Wellington.
“Scientists should seek to not simply just share their findings, but actively listen and be responsive to the voices and views of New Zealanders”.
Public Health, Energy, and Poverty as Top Science Priorities
When asked about the goals science should prioritise, most New Zealanders agreed that research should focus on improving public health (84%), solving energy challenges (76%), and reducing poverty (66%). However, fewer respondents felt that science currently prioritises these areas (65%, 62%, and 38%, respectively, strongly or very strongly believed that science aims to tackle these goals).
“These results show the New Zealand public expects scientists to focus on tackling the big challenges that affect society” says Dr John Kerr, a further New Zealand co-author and Senior Research Fellow in Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington. “It is important not only for scientists to hear this, but also for the wider science system—including those who make decisions about which scientific research gets prioritised and funded.”
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