Conservative Americans distrust scientists across all fields—even those focused on economic growth and productivity—according to groundbreaking new research that reveals a more pervasive skepticism of science than previously recognized.
The comprehensive study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, surveyed nearly 8,000 Americans about their views on 35 different scientific professions and found that liberals consistently showed higher trust in scientists than conservatives across every field examined.
“In America, but also in other countries, conservatives generally have lower trust in science,” says Bastiaan Rutjens, one of the researchers involved in the study from the University of Amsterdam. “Since the 1980s, trust of science among conservatives in America has even been plummeting.”
While past research has documented conservative skepticism toward science that conflicts with political or religious beliefs—such as climate change or evolution—this new study reveals that the trust gap extends far beyond ideologically charged topics.
The researchers discovered that although the trust gap was widest for climate scientists, medical researchers, and social scientists, conservatives also showed less trust in technical fields like industrial chemistry that focus on economic productivity.
“These fields are more focused on economic growth and productivity,” Rutjens explains. “But it remains striking that even here, conservatives show lower trust. Their distrust extends across science as a whole.”
The research team, led by PhD student Vukašin Gligorić, also tested whether conservative science skepticism could be reduced through targeted messaging. They designed five different interventions highlighting how scientific results align with conservative values or showcasing conservative scientists.
In a concerning finding for science communicators, none of the messaging strategies succeeded in significantly improving conservatives’ trust in scientists.
“This suggests that their distrust is deeply-rooted and not easily changed,” says Rutjens.
The persistence of this distrust poses significant challenges for addressing major societal problems that require scientific solutions, such as pandemics and climate change. When people distrust scientists, they’re less likely to accept scientific recommendations or support policies based on scientific evidence.
Part of the problem may be the perception of science as a partisan enterprise. “Science is also increasingly dismissed in some circles as a ‘leftist hobby’, and universities as strongholds of the leftist establishment,” Rutjens notes.
While the study focused on the American context, the researchers caution that similar patterns of science skepticism are emerging elsewhere. “Even here in the Netherlands we are seeing unprecedented discussions being held around science, sometimes accompanied by significant distrust,” Rutjens observes.
The findings suggest that quick communications fixes are unlikely to bridge the trust gap. Instead, the researchers propose that more intensive efforts are needed to rebuild trust in scientific institutions.
“This does not mean it is impossible, but these short interventions do not work to make science more transparent and reliable for certain groups,” Rutjens explains. “We need stronger interventions that make science truly personal. What can science contribute to your life, here and now?”
As polarization around scientific issues continues to grow in many countries, this research highlights the urgent need for new approaches to science communication that can effectively reach across the political spectrum.
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