US Adults’ Confidence In Scientists Remains Eroded Despite Small Uptick In Trust, Survey Finds

The Washington Post (11/14, Achenbach) reports the results “of a survey published Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center” suggest that “the pandemic and the chaos and controversies that came with it led to an erosion of trust in scientists, and it may be a while before that trust returns to levels that preceded the contagion.” The Pew Research Center “asked adults in the United States if they have confidence in scientists to ‘act in the best interests of the public.’” The survey found that “the vast majority of people still do, saying they have ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ of confidence.” However, “although the new numbers show a small uptick in trust in scientists over the past year, the public’s confidence in that community remains significantly eroded.” The New York Times (11/14, Rosenbluth) reports, “About 76 percent of Americans say they have confidence that scientists act in the public’s best interest, a modest but significant improvement from last year but about 10 points lower than the figure before the pandemic.”