Public perception of the authority and trustworthiness of scientists has fallen in the past year. This is stated in a new report from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. The research was published in the official gazette Web site scientific institution.
The conclusions of APPC experts are based on data from sociological surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024. Factors in citizens’ attitudes towards science and science professionals predict public support for financing research projects.
These factors include whether science and scientists are perceived as trustworthy and competent, and whether they are capable of overcoming biases and correcting errors. Participants were also asked to evaluate whether the researchers’ work benefits the country and its people.
Scientists are generally highly respected in society, according to a new study. However, in 2024, perceptions of competence decreased from 77% to 70% compared to 2023. People’s trust in scientists fell from 67% to 59% over the same period.
The survey also found that in 2024, fewer people believe that scientists’ discoveries benefit the country and ordinary citizens: 66% versus 75% and 60% versus 68%, respectively.
Declining trust in scientists may be linked to concerns about controversial issues such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the rapid development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), according to the report’s authors.
It also turns out that of all fields of science, people trust AI experts the least; Only 12% of survey respondents reported trusting these researchers. At the same time, 39% of respondents trust climatologists and 41% trust medical scientists.
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