Political ideology and trust in scientists in the USA

Abstract

Trust in scientists is a key predictor of compliance with science-based solutions to societal challenges. Although liberals in the USA generally trust scientists more than conservatives do, it is not clear how these ideological differences vary across different scientific occupations and whether they can be mitigated. Here, in this Registered Report (including 7,800 US participants), we demonstrate that, even though the strength of the relationship between political ideology and trust varies across scientific occupations, liberals (compared with conservatives) show higher trust in most scientists. Moreover, following motivational accounts of scientist distrust, the study tested five theoretically grounded intervention strategies to improve conservatives’ trust in scientists. None of the interventions were successful, suggesting that trust in scientists reflects relatively stable attitudes that require more elaborate and time-intensive interventions.