Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us make personal decisions on issues such as health and provide evidence-based policymaking to help governments deal with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change.
In a survey of 71,922 people in 68 countries, our global team of 241 researchers found that most people have relatively high trust in scientists.
In particular, people want scientists to play an active role in society and in policy-making. Our results are published today in Human behavior.
So what does this mean for us as a society, and for scientists and policymakers seeking to maintain and build trust? Here are the lessons we learned.
Rumors of “crisis”
According to reports and surveys, most people trust scienceand scientists are part of the most trustworthy people in society. However, we often hear about a “crisis of confidence” in science And scientists.
For example, some research suggests that media reports about polls can serve as self-fulfilling prophecy Or feedback loop – this can undermine scientific credibility by depicting a crisis of confidence.
Other research suggests that media political discourses influence public opinion through framing. For example, exposure to conservative media that cover scientific controversies increases distrust of scientists, leading to greater climate change denial.
Our research extends beyond the Western world and covers many understudied countries in the Global South. We tested whether trust in scientists was actually low and whether trust levels varied significantly between countries.
A real global survey
We conducted a participatory survey Many Labs Project involving the same survey translated in 68 countries on all inhabited continents.
Data was collected between November 2022 and August 2023. Our samples were weighted based on national distributions by age, gender, education, and sample size by country. You can interact with global and national data using this data dashboard.
Scientist trustworthiness was measured using four established dimensions: perceived competence, benevolence, integrity, and openness.
How much do people around the world trust scientists?
Worldwide, we find that most people have relatively high trust in scientists (average trust level = 3.62, on a scale of 1 = very low trust to 5 = very high trust).
Globally, people perceive scientists as having high competence, moderate integrity, and benevolent intentions, while being slightly less open to feedback. A majority of respondents also perceive scientists as qualified (78%), honest (57%) and concerned about people’s well-being (56%).
No country showed low trust in scientists.
Australia ranks fifth in terms of trust in scientists, scoring significantly higher than the global average and ranking only behind Egypt, India, Nigeria and Kenya.
Are there differences in confidence depending on who you are?
Globally, our results indicate that trust is slightly higher for women, older adults, residents of urban areas (compared to rural areas), and people with higher income, religiosity, formal education and liberal and left-wing political views.
In most countries, political orientation and trust in scientists are unrelated. However, we found that in Western countries, people with conservative (right-wing) political views have less trust in scientists than those with liberal (left-wing) views. This is consistent with research in North America.
In Australia, having a conservative or liberal political orientation does not seem to matter when it comes to trust in science, unlike in North America and many other European countries. This could mean that political polarization around science is not as much of a problem as it is for specific scientific issues. like climate change.
On a global scale, what seems to make a difference is the extent to which a person supports something called orientation towards social domination – a preference for inequalities between social groups. People belonging to this orientation had significantly less trust in scientists. This is also consistent with previous research.
What do people think scientists should behave like?
A majority of survey participants support science playing an active role in society and policy-making.
Globally, 83% of respondents believe scientists should communicate about science with the general public. This is particularly the case in African countries.
Overall, about half (49%) believe that scientists should actively advocate for specific policies and that they should be more involved in the policy-making process (52%).
In Australia, around two thirds think scientists should actively advocate for specific policies (66%), and a majority think scientists should be involved in the policy-making process (62%).
What do people think scientists should prioritize?
Many people around the world feel that the priorities of science do not always match their own priorities.
This is important because the gap between perceived and desired research priorities is associated with trust in scientists. The less people trust scientists, the more they believe their efforts fall short of their personal expectations about the priorities of their work.
In general, respondents place the highest priority on research dedicated to improving public health, followed by solving energy problems and reducing poverty.
Research on the development of defense and military technologies was given the least priority. Globally, respondents believe science places more emphasis on this topic than it should.
However, there are large differences between regions of the world. People in African and Asian countries believe that greater priority should be given to the development of defense and military technologies.
There is no crisis, but this information is valuable
Our results echo Western polls that show scientists are among the most trusted people in society. Worldwide, our results show that there is a high level of trust in scientists and the belief that they should be involved in society and policy-making.
All of this does not support the idea that there is a crisis of confidence in science.
Importantly, our findings also highlight some areas of concern. Globally, less than half of respondents (42%) believe that scientists pay attention to the opinions of others. Although scientists are seen as highly competent, with moderate integrity and benevolent intentions, some feel they are less open to feedback.
There is also a gap between perceived and desired research priorities, which is associated with trust.
We recommend that scientists take these results seriously. They should find ways to be more receptive to feedback and open to dialogue with the public. In Western countries, scientists should consider new ways to reach conservative groups.
In the long term, scientists should also consider their role in setting priorities aligned with public values.