The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, surveyed 71,922 people worldwide, including under-researched regions. The SCAN Unit team, with Claus Lamm, Kim Doell, Jonas Nitschke, Boryana Todorova, and Ekaterina Pronizius, were among the co-authors.
Key findings:
- Trust: The majority trust scientists, viewing them as qualified (78%), honest (57%), and concerned about people’s well-being (56%).
- Engagement: 83% want scientists to communicate with the public; 52% support their involvement in policymaking.
- Challenges: In Western countries, people with right-wing political views have less trust in scientists than those with left-wing views. However, in most countries, political orientation and trust in scientists were unrelated. Globally, less than half of respondents (42%) believe that scientists pay attention to others’ views. In other words, respondents from various countries feel that science priorities do not always align well with their own priorities. In fact, participants explicitly believe that science prioritizes developing defense and military technology more than they desire.
We recommend that scientists take these results seriously and find ways to be more receptive to feedback and open to dialogue with the public, consider ways in Western countries to reach conservative groups, and, in the fullness of time, consider their role in setting priorities aligned with public values.
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The publication is available here
Image: Credits: Tomski&Polanski
