This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Trust in scientists in the UK is strong overall, with 63% indicating they have high trust in scientists in general—but a major new study finds this trust is closely shaped by people's values, identity and politics, showing some of the same patterns of division over science that have emerged in the U.S. The research finds trust rests less on whether scientists are seen as experts and more on whether people feel scientists are "on the side of people like them." This view tracks political support closely: Only 32% of Reform UK supporters feel scientists are on their side, compared with 71% of Green supporters—a 39-point gap.
This kind of political divide risks influencing how people see science—something that has occurred in the U.S. in recent years—and the study finds Reform supporters are far less trusting of, and more cynical about, scientists in general and climate scientists in particular, who emerge as the most politically polarizing of all the scientists studied. But other drivers of trust still matter, including knowing a scientist personally, which is linked to greater trust in scientists regardless of occupational or educational levels. And while outright distrust remains a minority position, the research reveals the key actions that could help increase levels of trust in the future.
The study, led by the Policy Institute at King's College London and Sense About Science, and funded by Wellcome, is based on a nationally representative survey of 4,262 UK adults conducted with YouGov. This was combined with regression modeling to identify the factors most associated with trust and a major new segmentation analysis to break the public into groups based on the varying types of trust they have in scientists. Informed by distinct attitudes toward, and personal connections to, scientists, the groups range from "Science Advocates" through to "Science Critics." From the analysis, seven main points stand out.
Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, said, "Trust in scientists remains generally high in the UK, with very few active distrusters who are wholly suspicious or cynical. However, this study reveals trust in scientists isn't just about whether people think scientists know their subject—it's about whether people feel scientists are doing good for them.
That sense of shared identity is a powerful driver of trust—and may present a significant risk if growing political polarization influences how people see science, as we've seen develop in the U.S. over the past decade. "For example, climate science has an incredibly strong link to identity divides, with trust in climate scientists ranging from 84% for Green supporters to just 19% for Reform UK supporters, a wider political gap than for scientists working in any other field. "We don't want a public that treats science or scientists with blind faith: These are often complex, contested areas, and the public making informed judgments about who and what to trust is preferable to uncritical trust in scientists across the board.
But we also want to avoid a society where your attitudes to science are set by a political identity, as that reduces judgment and nuance. "Yet it would be a mistake to read this as a country simply divided into science advocates and science critics. The public splits into much more nuanced groups, and there is much we can do to demonstrate the trustworthiness of science and scientists—but this needs to be targeted and tailored for these different groups.
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