Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
An international group of researchers, including specialists from the National Research University Higher School of Economics, conducted a large-scale survey in 68 countries on the topic of trust in science. In most countries, people continue to highly value the work of scientists and want to see them become more active participants in public life. The results are published in Nature Human Behavior.
Howresearch showsAccording to Arthur Lupia and David Allison, the last five years have seen a decline in trust in science and scientists in particular. The crisis of trust has become especially noticeable during the COVID-19 pandemic. To study this problem in more detail, the international multidisciplinary consortium TISP (Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism) conducted a survey to provide reliable data on attitudes towards science.
More than 71,000 people answered questions about their trust in scientists and rated their competence, honesty, and concern for the common good. The survey design also included assessments of respondents’ education, income, and political views.
The survey involved 68 countries, including those from the Global South, which are often overlooked in such studies. This allowed us to identify not only global trends in attitudes towards science, but also regional specifics.
The survey found that 78% of respondents worldwide believe that scientists are competent, 57% believe that they are honest, and 56% believe that they care about the well-being of people. Respondents also believe that research aimed at improving public health, solving energy problems, reducing poverty, and combating climate change should be given high priority.
Many people would like to see scientists involved in decision-making: 83% of respondents support open science, and 52% support researchers’ participation in public policy. However, less than half (42%) are confident that scientists themselves take public opinion into account.
The study shows that the credibility of science remains high in most countries, but trust in scientists varies widely across countries and among different social groups within a country. In places where people were more reliant on scientific data, crises such as the pandemic were easier to deal with, and citizens were more likely to follow recommendations for vaccination and safety measures. Tackling mistrust of scientific findings is especially important because societies that trust scientists more are better able to deal with climate and health challenges.
Among the main reasons for the weakening authority of science, researchers highlight misinformation, conspiracy theories, a crisis in the reproducibility of scientific data, and scientific populist sentiments, in which popular opinion is opposed to expert knowledge. These factors were especially evident during the pandemic, when, for example, opinion leaders called for the use of traditional medicine instead of vaccination.
“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,” says Albina Galliamova, a junior research fellow Center for Sociocultural Research HSE University. — One of the reasons for the decline in trust is insufficiently active educational activities in the public space. It is obvious that in order to overcome current problems, it is necessary to actively and clearly tell the audience about the results of your research.”
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.