Trust In Science Remains High Across The World

In the last year or so, several surveys have demonstrated that the public confidence in scientists in the US remains high, despite there being a partisan divide. But what about the rest of the world? Well, according to a new massive global survey involving a team of 241 researchers, public trust remains moderately high in many countries. 

This research represents the largest post-pandemic study of trust in science, societal expectations, and public views on research priorities since the pandemic.  

“Our results show that most people in most countries have a relatively high level of trust in scientists and want them to play an active role in society and politics”, principal investigator Dr Viktoria Cologna explained in a statement.  

In total, the researchers surveyed 71,922 people across 68 countries, including many under-researched countries in the Global South.

“This project showcases the importance and power of big team science to answer fundamental questions about human behaviour. By pooling our expertise and resources, we were able to reach over 70,000 people and improve sample diversity and representation by recruiting from 68 countries,” study co-author Dr Charlotte Pennington, a senior lecturer at Aston University School of Psychology, said in another statement.

The research showed that, across this population, the majority of the public had a relatively high level of trust in scientists – the mean trust level was 3.62, on a scale of 1 = very low trust to 5 = very high trust. The majority of respondents (78 percent) also saw scientists as qualified, honest (57 percent), and concerned about public well-being (56 percent).

“Overall, the study resulted in an optimistic finding – that people generally trust scientists and agree that they should engage more in society and policymaking. Such trust is important because it allows people to make research-informed decisions about their own lives,” Pennington continued.

Despite this positive result, there are some areas of concern that should not be ignored. Firstly, across the world, just under half of the respondents (42 percent) believed scientists pay attention to the views of others.

“Our results also show that many people in many countries feel that the priorities of science are not always well aligned with their own priorities,” co-author Dr Niels G. Mede added. “We recommend that scientists take these results seriously and find ways to be more receptive to feedback and open to dialogue with the public.”

The findings also confirm similar ones found in the previous study on the US that suggest a divide of opinions across the political divide. Those with right-wing political views in Western countries tended to have less trust in scientists than those with left-wing views. This indicates that attitudes towards science are polarized along political lines, but this was only in specific cases. In most countries, there was no correlation between political orientation and trust in science.

Another point that was more politically polarized in the US context was the views on the role scientists should play in society and policy making. Globally, 83 percent of respondents believed that scientists should communicate with the public about science. This could represent an important incentive for increased science communication efforts.

In addition, only 23 percent believed scientists should stay out of public policy debates by not advocating for specific policies. In contrast, 52 percent believed scientists should be more involved in policy-making.

What areas did people feel scientists should be focusing their research on? Well, it seems participants believed researchers should prioritize solving energy issues, reducing poverty, and improving public health. Defence developments and research into military technology were given lower priority – in fact, participants indicated that scientists are already putting too much work into these latter two areas.

“This research demonstrates that people from all around the globe still have high trust in science and want scientists involved in policymaking,” study co-author Dr James Reynolds, a senior lecturer at Aston University School of Psychology, said. “When we face great challenges, such as threats to public health or energy crises, the public recognize the importance that scientists can play and want us involved. This is also true of the UK where levels of public trust in science is one of the highest globally.”

The paper is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.