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Rapidly Diverging Public Trust in Science in the United States

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  • Smith, E. Keith
  • Milkoreit, Manjana

Abstract

Trust in science is crucial to resolving societal problems. Americans across political ideologies have high levels of trust in science—a stable pattern observed over the past 50 years. Yet, trust in science varies by individual and group characteristics and faces several threats, from political actors, increased political polarization, or global crises. We revisit historical trends of trust in science amongst Americans by political orientation. We find steadily diverging trends by political views since the 1990s, and a drastically and rapidly opening gap since 2018. Recent unprecedented changes are driven by decreases in trust among conservatives but also increases among liberals. Existing theoretical accounts do not fully explain these patterns. Diverging attitudes towards the institution of science can diminish capacity for collective problem solving, eroding the shared foundation for decision making and political discourse.

Suggested Citation

  • Smith, E. Keith & Milkoreit, Manjana, 2024. "Rapidly Diverging Public Trust in Science in the United States," OSF Preprints fr6xk, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:fr6xk
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/fr6xk
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    1. Jami Taylor & Andrew Flores & Donald Haider-Markel & Daniel Lewis & Patrick Miller, 2024. "American Federalism: A Blessing and a Curse for Transgender Rights," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 54(3), pages 511-533.
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    Cited by:

    1. Muscio, Alessandro & Farinella, Matteo, 2025. "Are scientists heroes or villains? The fascinating case of DC and Marvel superheroes comics," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

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