Losing Faith in Science
In recent years, it has become clear the American population is slowly losing faith in scientists, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center.
Source: Wikimedia
This isn’t a political ideology. However, according to the Pew Research Group’s research, it’s a national decrease as both Republicans and Democrats are losing faith in science.
Only 50% of Americans Believe in Science
In November 2023, the Pew Research Group released a poll finding that only 57% of Americans believed science positively affected society.
Source: Wikimedia
This number is down around 8% from the last time the researchers carried out a similar survey in November 2021.
Americans Believe Science Has Positive and Negative Effects on Society
During the survey last year, 34% of Americans claimed science is as equally detrimental as it is beneficial to society.
Source: Freepik
Whereas 8% went as far as to claim science had a mostly negative effect on society.
Political Differences in Science
While the survey revealed that both Republicans and Democrats had lost faith in science, the GOP voters were less confident.
Source: Freepik
In the 2023 survey, around 53% of Republicans claimed science has a negative effect on society, compared to the 31% of Democrats who said the same.
Trust in Science Has Been Declining Since 2019
Dr. Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist and anti-misinformation advocate at the University of Illinois Chicago, who took part in the survey, claims trust in science has been declining since 2019.
Source: Freepik
“There’s been a kind of a monotonic decrease since 2019 in trust in science. It’s kind of stunning,” she said, per CNN.
Trust in Scientists Drops Post Covid-19
The new study has revealed a 16% drop in faith since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: Freepik
The Pew Research Group noticed in their 2021 study that Republicans had lowered their level of faith due to the mixed messaging of officials during the pandemic.
Trust in Science Was Increasing Before the Pandemic
Senior researcher at Pew and author of the report, Brian Kennedy, claims that from 2016 until the beginning of COVID-19, American trust in science has been growing steadily.
Source: Freepik
However, he admits a sharp decline in trust was observed once the pandemic began.
Influx of Messaging During Covid-19
According to Wallace, much of the new distrust originates from the influx of conflicting information that appeared during the pandemic, including the preventative measures.
Source: Wikimedia
“It just causes a lot of confusion because we have different people with big platforms saying different things,” she said.
Too Much Information Online
“Everyone was at home on social media and interacting in these echo chambers, filtering out any information they didn’t want to see,” Wallace said.
Source: Freepik
“Different groups come to different conclusions because they’re interacting with different information.”
Americans Still Invested in Science
While some members of the American public have lost faith in science, 78% still believe it’s “worthwhile” to continue investing in scientific research.
Source: Freepik
Over half of the 8,000 participants in the study claim it’s “very important” for the US to remain a world leader in scientific achievement.
Better Scientific Communication With the American Public
Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, suggests, “We need to up our game in terms of how we do science communication,” implying better communication between the public may increase the level of trust.
Source: Freepik
“Stop with the old-fashioned idea of communication that we talk to the American people as if they’re in the sixth grade. Talk to them like adults.”