The COVID-19 pandemic has increased - but also polarised - trust in science

People who reported more trust in science were more likely to have a COVID-19 vaccination (Credit: Prostock-studio) - Research shows trust in science is more important than knowledge, when it comes to affecting behaviours and attitudes towards science. Research by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, UK, along with colleagues at Universities of Oxford and Aberdeen, finds that trust in scientists has hugely increased overall since the COVID-19 pandemic, but that attitudes have also become more polarized. The study also found that people were more likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine if their trust in the science had increased. Whether it be climate change, vaccines or GM foods, trust in science and scientists has rarely been more important. But can trust be changed? Does change in trust reflect change in behaviour? Using data from a survey of over 2000 UK adults commissioned by the Genetics Society , the team asked individuals whether their trust in scientists had gone up, down or stayed the same. A third of people reported that their trust in scientists had gone up. To see whether this was associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response, they were also asked whether trust in -geologists- and -geneticists- had changed, geologists having no obvious involvement with the COVID-19 response, and with geneticists being involved but with less prominent recognition for their involvement.