(Dis)trust of/in science and scientists

[Laird]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01977-9
01 July 2026
Helen Pearson
Nature

But is trust in science really that weak? Researchers studying this have reached some surprising conclusions. From a global perspective, public trust in science and scientists is high, they say. One of the largest studies3, which surveyed nearly 72,000 people across 68 countries in 2022–23, reported a “moderately high” average trust score of 3.6 out of 5. “The idea that there’s a generalized, pervasive lack of trust in science and experts is just completely unfounded in my mind,” says David Bersoff, head of research at the Edelman Trust Institute, a think tank in New York City.

The glass half-empty view, however, has data to support it, too. In a survey of people living in Britain, published in April5, 84% of respondents said they had at least some trust in science. But the proportion who trusted science “a lot” dropped from 63% in 2020 to 34% — one of the “emerging fractures” in trust that the study identified.

[Laird]

How to Answer the Question "Do You Trust Science?"
July 28, 2026
Mark Mahin
Future and Cosmos blog

So what is a good answer to give when asked, "Do you trust science?" It is not a one-word answer of "yes" or "no."  A good answer might be something like this:

I trust that large portion of science which consists of well-observed things, and facts established by well-replicated "best practices" experiments using large study groups. I largely distrust the large portion of science which consists of shaky dogmas, belief traditions of scientist communities, and experimental work involving poor methods and badly designed experiments guilty of procedural sins such as the use of way-too-small study groups. I am also very concerned about the very high level of clickbait, hype and exaggeration in today's online science literature, where we very often read groundless boasts and the repetition of socially constructed triumphal legends.