A global study on public trust in scientists across 68 countries has been published in Nature Human Behaviour.
The study was led by Dr. Victoria Cologne and Dr. Niels G. Mede. During the Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism (TISP) Many Labs study, 71,922 individuals were surveyed across 68 countries, creating the largest dataset on this topic since the pandemic. The study involved 241 researchers from 179 scientific institutions, including two scientists from our Faculty – Dominika Jurgiel (PhD student) and Adrian Wojcik.
Key findings include:
- Public trust in scientists across the 68 countries surveyed was moderately high, with an average score of 3.62 on a scale of 1 to 5, though it varied significantly between countries. These results align with previous research and counter claims of widespread low trust in scientists.
- Majorities view scientists as qualified (78%), honest (57%), and concerned about public well-being (56%).
- Most respondents (83%) believe scientists should communicate about science with the public.
- Regarding policy, 49% believe scientists should actively advocate for specific policies (23% disagree), and 52% believe scientists should be more involved in policymaking (22% disagree).
The link to the project information: https://www.tisp-manylabs.com/home
The link to the original paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5