{"id":37449,"date":"2023-01-27T13:37:38","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T08:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?p=37449"},"modified":"2025-08-28T13:39:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T08:09:27","slug":"nearly-30-of-the-population-is-skeptical-about-science-how-universities-can-build-public-science-literacy-and-trust-in-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/nearly-30-of-the-population-is-skeptical-about-science-how-universities-can-build-public-science-literacy-and-trust-in-science","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 30% of the Population is Skeptical About Science: How Universities Can Build Public Science Literacy and Trust in Science"},"content":{"rendered":"

Innovations and new technologies are emerging worldwide at a dizzying speed. These developments are the result of scientific advances and are critical to improving the human condition.<\/p>\n

Despite, or perhaps because of, all the progress we\u2019ve made, our society is currently facing some severe challenges, such as global warming and pandemics, and we can expect even more difficulties to occur in the future. As they have in the past, scientists will continue working to help us overcome these issues, and it is vital that the public continues to support and trust in science and the work of researchers.<\/p>\n

According to the\u00a03M State of Science Index 2022<\/a>, a global survey conducted in 17 countries, 90% of respondents indicated that they trust science, while 86% indicated that they trust scientists. However, only 52% believe that science is important to their everyday life. In addition, the pandemic has affected the views of some. Skepticism of science was at a high of 35% in pre-pandemic 2020 but dropped to 27% in the midst of the pandemic in 2021. This figure has begun to increase again and stood at 29% in the most recent survey.<\/p>\n

Why universities play an important role in building public scientific literacy and trust in science<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the majority of the population seems to still trust science and scientists, there is a glaring lack of trust in the scientific information that is communicated. According to the 3M survey, 88% of respondents believe there is widespread misinformation in social media today, and 72% believe there is widespread misinformation in traditional news. A majority of people (85%) believe the scientific information that comes from scientists and engineers; however, only a quarter of the survey respondents believe the scientific information they receive from politicians and social media. In addition, 39% believe that science divides people with opposing viewpoints<\/p>\n

This situation negatively impacts society\u2019s science literacy and trust in science because most people receive their science news from the media. Therefore, they are very likely to be getting misinformation and are less likely to trust any legitimate scientific communications they do hear. As we learned during the pandemic, conflicting reports and uncertainty leads to a mistrust that can impede the swift action required to alleviate a crisis.<\/p>\n

One of the key drivers of public trust in science is science literacy: the knowledge of key science concepts and the understanding of science processes. Given the well-known role of universities in developing science literacy, universities are in a unique position to help society retain its trust in science. Universities do not have the perceived bias of the media and can more objectively disseminate scientific information as they enjoy more public trust than traditional or social media does.<\/p>\n

How universities can improve science literacy and public trust in science<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universities play an important role in building public scientific literacy and trust in science through transparency in research processes and objectivity in disseminating scientific information. Many institutions are very cognizant of this role and have developed initiatives to strengthen their outreach. Here are examples of different types of initiatives designed to improve science literacy and public trust in science.<\/p>\n