Americans May Be Deeply Divided, but They Still Have Confidence in Scientists

In recent weeks, we’ve seen a lot of major shifts in how scientific expertise is viewed and acted on in our country. All of the experts on a key panel responsible for advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccines were fired, replaced by some people who promote anti-vaccine theories that contradict scientific evidence. Access to annual Covid vaccine boosters appears to have been restricted for much of the population, despite medical recommendations in favor of annual shots. Educational government websites about the latest climate change research have been shut down. And that’s just off the top of my head.

So it’s a great time to think about how Americans feel about science, and the researchers who carry it out. Fortunately, there are some excellent resources to help us.

The number-crunchers at Pew Research published results late last year that shed light on how much Americans trust scientists. It’s important to put this in perspective, so before we look at those results, let’s check out how much Americans trust other groups. According to Pew, which has been conducting these studies for decades, 22% of adults in this country trust the federal government to do the right thing. That result came in 2024, one year after the same stat hit 16%, which Pew points out is the lowest reading they’ve gotten in more than 60 years — a fraction of the 70% of people who felt that way in the late 1950s. When it comes to the media, some 60% of Americans say they “have at least some trust in information from national news organizations.” Ouch. Only a third of people say the same thing about information from social media. Across the board, Pew finds that we have decreasing levels of trust in institutions and the people running them.

Now that we’ve set our barometers, let’s get back to public sentiment about scientists. Somewhat remarkably, Pew’s study from 2024 shows that 76% of American adults say they trust scientists to act in the public’s best interest (either “a great deal” or “a fair amount”) while just 23% say they don’t trust them much or at all. If you guessed that trust in scientists took a hit due to the pandemic, you’d be right, but probably not by the margin you’d expect. The year prior to Covid, 86% said they trust scientists, and in April of 2020 — the height of lockdowns across this country — that number ticked up slightly to 87%. Trust declined between late 2020 and late 2021, which corresponds with the period when vaccines became available and, for most people, required. Still, even though the trust rating bottomed out at 73%, it’s already bouncing back. These positive trends are fairly stable regardless of political party, education level, and race and ethnicity.

If three-quarters of the American public finds you trustworthy — in an era where many of us don’t even trust the things we see with our own eyes — that’s a real achievement. It helps to explain why cuts to the NIH budget and other research funding agencies have been deeply unpopular regardless of party affiliation.

But scientists don’t get top marks across the board. While Pew results show that the vast majority of Americans think of scientists as intelligent, honest, and skilled at working collaboratively, it’s their ability to communicate that is called into question. Only 45% of Americans consider them to be good communicators.

Scientists have gotten the message. The prestigious National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has been studying ways to communicate science more effectively. In a new report, members of the committee tasked with this work encourage researchers to shift away from the traditional model of disseminating information (which they describe as “seeking to inform, reframe, or correct beliefs”) and toward a more participatory model “with the goal of improving public understanding of science and scientists’ understanding of the public’s concerns, needs, and values.” Scientists should try to reach out to less engaged audiences, they add, rather than the people who are most eager to learn about science. The report notes that “participatory approaches better address contemporary challenges concerning scientific uncertainty, politicized science, artificial value neutrality, and a reactive science communication infrastructure.”

While I wholeheartedly endorse the idea of making science communication more effective, I also believe this responsibility isn’t limited to the scientists who conduct research. We all have a role to play. Excited about a cool scientific discovery? Share it, through whatever channels you prefer. See an opportunity to gently educate someone about an aspect of science they’re not familiar with? Take it. If you’ve got an engaging way to get people jazzed about science or to direct them to reliable sources of information, that makes a difference. We may not all be scientists, but we can all do our part to be great science communicators.