The Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday found that 20 percent of Americans who are on the political right place “a lot of trust” in scientists to do what is right for the country, while only 17 percent of those identified as “conservative Republicans” hold the same view.
In contrast, the poll found that 62 percent of Americans on the political left and two-thirds of “liberal Democrats” put “a lot of trust” in scientists.
A majority of the overall U.S. public placed at least some trust in scientists, with 38 percent giving them “a lot” of trust and 39 percent placing “some” trust in them. Only 21 percent said they trust scientists “not too much” or “not at all.”
A larger majority of Americans, 82 percent, said that they believe “government investments in scientific research aimed at advancing knowledge are usually worthwhile for society over time.”
Almost half of all U.S. adults, 46 percent, agreed that scientists “make judgements based solely on the facts.” Those on the right agreed with the statement 31 percent of the time, while 64 percent of those on the left agreed.
Fewer agreed with the statement that the public “should rely more on people who are considered experts” to solve problems, with 28 percent of adults agreeing, including 23 percent of those on the right and 43 percent of those on the left.
Opinions on key scientific issues differed significantly depending on the politics of those responding. A clear majority of all Americans agreed that childhood vaccinations provide substantial health benefits and present little risk, but support was higher among those on the left.
The poll found that 78 percent those on the left who believe that the “preventative health benefits” of vaccines are “high,” with 68 percent on the right agreeing. When asked whether they believed that vaccine side effect risks were “low” or “none,” 55 percent of those on the right agreed, compared to 70 percent on the left.
Belief that the government should prioritize protecting the environment has increased substantially among all Americans, moving from 50 percent in a 2017 edition of the poll to 64 percent in the new poll. However, only 49 percent agreed that “human activity contributes a great deal to climate change,” despite an overwhelming consensus of scientists agreeing with the statement.
Younger Americans were more likely to believe the environment should be prioritized, with 72 percent agreeing compared to 57 percent of older adults. A larger gap existed depending on political ideology. While 87 percent of those on the left agreed that it should be prioritized, they were joined by only 41 percent of those with conservative views.
Support for increasing renewable energy production also widely differed depending on ideology, although all Americans believed it should be a priority. A slight 52 percent majority of those on the right agreed, compared to an overwhelming 93 percent of those on the left.
Americans were split overall on how well they believe the news media covers scientists, with 52 percent saying they believe the media does a “good job” and 45 percent saying they do a “bad job.” Most, 77 percent, said that the public does not understand enough about science to understand research covered in the news, while 59 percent said that the media tends to “oversimply scientific research findings.”
