New research by social psychologists at the University of Amsterdam, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, shows that America's conservatives distrust science to a far greater extent than previously understood.
The academics asked 7,800 Americans their opinions on 35 different scientific professions and examined their answers based on whether they identified as conservative or liberal.
They found that members of the public who described themselves as right-leaning were overwhelmingly more likely to distrust scientists, particularly those whose work in fields such as climate may not align with their political ideology.
More surprisingly, conservatives also proved to be highly skeptical about more technically-minded scientists like industrial chemists, whose findings might have a direct, positive impact on economic growth and prosperity, two areas typically associated with right-leaning people.
Republican respondents were further found to be particularly resistant to “interventions” made by the researchers as part of an attempt to influence their attitudes towards the disciplines under discussion more positively.
The findings have potentially profound consequences for tackling social problems that require a broad public consensus to resolve, such as reining in climate change and thwarting future pandemics.
“In America, but also in other countries, conservatives generally have lower trust in science,” said Bastiaan T. Rutjens, one of the researchers behind the study.
“Since the 1980s, trust in science among conservatives in America has even been plummeting,” he added, explaining that the discipline has come to be regarded as a “leftist hobby”. At the same time, universities are often seen as “strongholds of the leftist establishment”.
That prejudice is currently being illustrated by President Donald Trump’s decision to cut $2.2bn in federal funding to Harvard University over its refusal to bow to his demands.
In his poll, Rutjens noted that climate scientists, medical researchers, and social scientists were among the least trusted professions.
“This is likely because findings in these fields often conflict with conservative beliefs, such as a free-market economy or conservative social policies,” he suggested.
As for the same subjects’ distrust of those working in more technical and applied fields, Rutjens observed: “It remains striking that even here, conservatives show lower trust.
“Their distrust extends across science as a whole.”
After a decade of populist politicians dismissing global warming as a “scam,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.questioning vaccines, and COVID-19 conspiracy theories being freely shared on social media, the attitudes uncovered by the study are perhaps not altogether surprising.
As to how to address them, Rutjens concluded that stronger interventions were needed to address the paranoia and suspicion identified.
“Extreme things are happening in America right now,” he said.
“But even here in the Netherlands, we are seeing unprecedented discussions being held around science, sometimes accompanied by significant distrust.
“These short interventions do not work to make science more transparent and reliable for certain groups.
“We need stronger interventions that make science truly personal. What can science contribute to your life, here and now?"
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