How to Restore Declining Trust in Science
November 21, 2023
Although the majority of Americans still trust science and scientists, their trust has declined markedly since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. This represents a reversal from a previous period of increasing public trust. Kevin Finneran draws on his long experience as editor of Issues to propose some remedies. For one, scientists should rethink how they engage with the public. Their priority, he writes, should be “not to better educate the public about science, but to instead engage with nonscientists in a shared effort to understand societal challenges in which science could play an important role.”