Public Trust in Science

Last updated on Feb 26, 2026
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Definition: Trust in the knowledge, guidelines and recommendations that has been produced or provided by scientists to the benefit of civil society (Hendriks et al., 2016). These may also refer to trust in scientific-based recommendations on public health (e.g., universal health-care, stem cell research, federal funds for women’s reproductive rights, preventive measures of contagious diseases, and vaccination), climate change, economic policies (e.g., welfare, inequality- and poverty-control) and their intersections. The trust a member of the public has in science has been shown to be influenced by a vast number of factors such as age (Anderson et al., 2012), gender (Von Roten, 2004), rejection of scientific norms (Lewandowsky & Oberauer, 2021), political ideology (Azevedo & Jost, 2021; Brewer & Ley, 2012; Leiserowitz et al., 2010), right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance (Kerr & Wilson, 2021), education (Bak, 2001; Hayes & Tariq, 2000), income (Anderson et al., 2012), science knowledge (Evans & Durant, 1995; Nisbet et al., 2002), social media use (Huber et al., 2019), and religiosity (Azevedo, 2021; Brewer & Ley, 2013; Liu & Priest, 2009).

Related terms: Credibility of scientific claims, Epistemic Trust

References:

  • Anderson, M. S., Ronning, E. A., Devries, R., & Martinson, B. C. (2010). Extending the Mertonian norms: Scientists’ subscription to norms of research. Journal of Higher Education, 81(3), 366–393. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.0.0095
  • Azevedo, F., & Jost, J. T. (2021). The ideological basis of antiscientific attitudes: Effects of authoritarianism, conservatism, religiosity, social dominance, and system justification. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(4), 518–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430221990104
  • Bak, H.-J. (2001). Education and Public Attitudes toward Science: Implications for the ‘Deficit Model’ of Education and Support for Science and Technology. Social Science Quarterly, 82(4), 779–795. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42955760
  • Brewer, P. R., & Ley, B. L. (2013). Whose Science Do You Believe? Explaining Trust in Sources of Scientific Information About the Environment. Science Communication, 35(1), 115–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547012441691
  • Evans, G., & Durant, J. (1995). The relationship between knowledge and attitudes in the public understanding of science in Britain. Public Understanding of Science, 4(1), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-6625/4/1/004
  • Hayes, B. C., & Tariq, V. N. (2000). Gender differences in scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science: A comparative study of four Anglo-American nations. Public Understanding of Science, 9(4), 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-6625/9/4/306
  • Hendriks, F., Kienhues, D., & Bromme, R. (2016). Trust in science and the science of trust. Trust and Communication in a Digitized World, 143–159.
  • Huber, B., Barnidge, M., Gil de ZĂșñiga, H., & Liu, J. (2019). Fostering public trust in science: The role of social media. Public Understanding of Science, 28(7), 759–777. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662519869097
  • Kerr, J. R., & Wilson, M. S. (2021). Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation predict rejection of science and scientists. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(4), 550–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430221992126
  • Lewandowsky, S., & Oberauer, K. (2021). Worldview-motivated rejection of science and the norms of science. Cognition, 215, 104820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104820
  • Liu, H., & Priest, S. (2009). Understanding public support for stem cell research: Media communication, interpersonal communication and trust in key actors. Public Understanding of Science, 18(6), 704–718. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662508097625
  • Nisbet, M. C., Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J., Moy, P., Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2002). Knowledge, Reservations, or Promise?: A Media Effects Model for Public Perceptions of Science and Technology. Communication Research, 29(5), 584–608. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365002236196
  • Schneider, J., Merk, S., & Rosman, T. (2019). (Re)Building Trust? Investigating the effects of open science badges on perceived trustworthiness in journal articles. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VGBRS
  • Wingen, T., Berkessel, J. B., & Englich, B. (2020). No Replication, No Trust? How Low Replicability Influences Trust in Psychology. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619877412

Originally drafted by: Tobias Wingen; FlĂĄvio Azevedo

Reviewed by: Elias Garcia-Pelegrin, Helena Hartmann, Catia M. Oliveira, Olmo van den Akker