Countering claims of a major erosion in trust in science, the largest survey of its kind since the pandemic, which gauged people’s opinions in 68 countries, found that public sentiment toward scientists is moderately high, an international research team reported this week.
However, they found that perceptions sometimes vary by demographic group between and within countries and that the public wants scientists engaged in communication and policymaking, especially regarding public health, energy challenges, and poverty reduction. A team of 241 Swiss-led researchers published the findings on January 20 in Nature Human Behaviour.
Respondents from 68 countries, including the Global South
Using a crowd-sourced approach, 241 researchers from 179 labs used a validated 12-item scale to measure trustworthiness perceptions in scientists. The study included 71,990 respondents across 68 countries. The team collected data between November 2022 and August 2023. The researchers emphasized that the study covers many under-researched countries in the Global South.
Tim Weninger, PhD, an expert on misinformation and fake news who is with the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame, said in a press release from the school that study participants were questioned in their own languages and according to their own customs. “This is the first time I have seen such a distributed and collaborative effort in the social sciences. Our results show that, generally, denizens worldwide do indeed trust scientists.”
They found that a majority of the public has a relatively high level of trust in scientists—3.62 on a 1- to 5-point scale that ranged from very low to very high.
A majority also perceived scientists to be qualified (78%), honest (57%), and concerned about the public’s well-being (56%).
However, the study also revealed some areas of concern. For example, only 42% said they believe scientists pay attention to the concerns of others.
Mismatched priorities and surprising findings
Niels G. Mede, PhD, with the department of communication and research at the University of Zurich, one of the groups that led the study, said in a press release from the school that the results also revealed some mismatch between scientists’ priorities and those of respondents. For example, survey participants put a lower priority on defense and military technology, two areas where they thought scientists had as a higher priority.
“We recommend that scientists take these results seriously and find ways to be more receptive to feedback and open to dialogue with the public,” he said.
When the group looked at differences by population groups and countries, they mainly found what earlier smaller studies showed: higher levels of trust among women, older people, urban residents, as well as those with higher incomes and education. People with right-wing political views in some—but not all countries—had less trust in scientists than their left-wing leaning peers.
Weninger said one of the most surprising findings was the connection between religion and trust in science. “Science and religion are often seen as being at odds with one another. This global study shows that religiosity and trust in science are commonly held in tandem by people across the world,” he said.
The group said anti-science attitudes, even if held by a minority, can raise concerns about a possible crisis in trust in science, which could derail scientists’ roles in supporting evidence-based policy making.
Some of the take-home messages from the study, they said, are that scientists need to find ways to be more open to feedback and dialogue with the public, increase communication efforts to highlight public health and energy issues, consider ways to reach conservative groups in Western countries, and consider their role in aligning research priorities with public values.
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