Politics Hasn't Shaken Most Americans' Faith in Science: Study
By Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 12, 2024 — The Trump administration's attacks on scientists didn't shake Americans' confidence in science, a new analysis shows.
"The proportion of Americans with a low level of trust in scientific expertise rose from 3% in 2016 to 13% in 2020," said lead author Jon Miller, a research scientist emeritus at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "But that increase was more than matched by a rise in the proportion of Americans with a high level of trust in scientific expertise, from 23% to 58%."
Former President Donald Trump's attacks on medical experts -- especially Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- fueled polarization during the pandemic but made the question of scientific expertise more important to many Americans, the researchers noted.
While critics condemned the administration's views and actions on such topics as climate change, environmental protection and the COVID pandemic, even conservative Republicans' trust in science rose more than distrust between 2016 and 2020, researchers found.
Their study -- published recently in the journal Science and Public Policy -- evaluated changes between 2016 and 2020 alongside a series of national public opinion surveys that began in 1957.
The surveys show that Americans have been highly appreciative of the benefits of science and technology and have had little fear about the dangers.
In 2016, interest in science and technology, college-level study of these subjects and education level were the strongest predictors of appreciation for the benefits of science and technology. Fundamentalist religious beliefs were the strongest predictor of apprehension about the dangers.
The trends were similar in 2020.
But their findings suggested that a basic level of scientific understanding enabled Americans who had been uninterested in science and tech to come up to speed on current events, especially the pandemic, researchers said.
"The Trump administration's contempt for scientific and technological expertise was rightly a cause for concern, but our study shows that the American public was by and large unaffected," Miller said in a university news release. "But it will be necessary to continue to improve the public's understanding of science and technology to ensure that it is equipped to weather any further storms."
Sources
- University of Michigan, news release, March 11, 2024
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2024
Read this next
Texas Rancher Developed Anthrax From Butchered Lamb Meat
FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 -- Anthrax disease in humans is rare and when it does occur, it's usually during hot, dry summers. That's why the case of a Texas rancher who developed...
Could Brain 'Overgrowth' Contribute to Autism?
FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 -- Severe forms of autism could be linked to overgrowth of the brain’s outer layer that starts while a baby is in the womb, a new study finds. Toddlers...
Patient in Mexico Dies From First Known Human Infection of H5N2 Strain of Bird Flu
THURSDAY, June 6, 2024 -- A 59-year-old person in Mexico is the first human in the world known to be infected with the H5N2 strain of avian flu, and the patient died of...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.