Intellectual humility predicts trust in science and scientists and climate change skepticism

Abstract

Despite scientific consensus, skepticism about climate change and its impacts continue; some people distrust science and scientists altogether. We examined whether intellectual humility (IH), characterized by one's ability to separate knowledge from ego, remain open to revising viewpoints, respect others' viewpoints, and reject intellectual hubris, could help counter climate skepticism and mistrust in scientists. We recruited participants living in the United States (N = 331, 53.80 % female, M_age = 39.93, SD_age = 12.83) to complete an online study. We found that IH was associated with higher trust in science/scientists and lower climate change skepticism, even when controlling for participant demographics (i.e., subjective SES, gender, age, education) and, importantly, political orientation. In particular, respect for others' viewpoints and lack of intellectual overconfidence drove the association with climate skepticism, whereas willingness to revise one's viewpoints and lack of intellectual overconfidence drove the association with trust in science/scientists. These findings increase understanding about how epistemic virtues can predict attitudes toward people and issues that have critical societal impact. This knowledge provides foundational evidence about intellectual humility's potential to help raise trust in science and scientists and increase behaviors to counter climate change.