Trust and Confidence at the Interfaces of the Life Sciences and Society Does the Public Trust Science? A Workshop Summary (2015) / Chapter Skim
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3 What Do We Know About Public Trust in Science?
3 What Do We Know About Public Trust in Science?
Pages 11-20
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From page 11... ...
Data on public confidence in institutions from General Social Survey8 demonstrates that confidence in the scientific community has remained relatively stable since 1973.9 "Trust does not look to be on the decline over time," Funk said. The GSS data also show that 95% of surveyed individuals agree that scientists are "helping to solve challenging problems," and 88% agreed that scientists are "dedicated people who work for the good of humanity," (Figure 3-1)
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From page 12... ...
. what eed 3 Figur 3-1 Confidence in the Scientific Community 19 to 2013.
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From page 13... ...
For example, in a 2001 VCU Life Sciences Survey, only 39% of respondents said they trust information on stem cell research "a lot" when it comes from scientific or medical researchers. However, this level of trust was higher than the 15% and 4% of respondents who reported that they had a lot of trust in the same information when it came from religious leaders and members of Congress, respectively.
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From page 14... ...
However, because of historical events, Native communities face multiple challenges today, including markedly less favorable health indicators, lower insurance coverage and educational attainment, and high smoking and poverty rates. Nassi pointed to the Indian Boarding School System -- a federal policy that aimed to educate Indian children and assimilate them into European language and culture–as an example of historical trauma and unresolved grief in many Native communities that impacts their contemporary responses to scientists' efforts to conduct research in their communities.
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From page 15... ...
message about science directly to public audiences." Fahy said that Sagan's ongoing dialogue with the public was a dramatic departure from the traditional, inwardly-focused scientific communication described by Marcia Kean of Feinstein Kean Health Care. He emphasized that Sagan's openness toward the public is largely responsible for his enduring appeal.
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From page 16... ...
These shared experiences promoted trust in science because they forged experiential bonds between scientific figures and the public, a notable departure from the "golden circle" described by Kean. Fahy's concluding remarks stressed the importance of scientists' ability to move between expert and public cultures, particularly at a time when public discourse about science is heavily influenced by new, public-facing media and information sources with which scientists historically have little experience.
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From page 17... ...
Some factors that may contribute to erosion of public trust in science stem from outside of the scientific community, such as hype and exaggeration of scientific findings by the media and scientific facts or advice given by popular non-scientist celebrities. For example "the popular press greatly exaggerates the definitiveness of vitamin D research."17 Health advice given by celebrities also contributes to public confusion, noted Caulfield.
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From page 18... ...
Caulfield challenged workshop attendees to consider why the public should be expected to trust the scientific establishment when its leaders appear to have limited confidence in the peer-review process and the conflicting results it generates. Overall, the information shared by speakers concerning what is known about public trust in science suggested a complex landscape in which personal characteristics like culture, religion, values, and personal histories -- when combined with science's own shortcomings like inconsistent findings and conflict of interest–can promote lack of trust in both scientists and the scientific enterprise.
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From page 19... ...
Jamieson said we're at a point that the adjectival traits of scientists are in question. -- not "science" but "scientists." She emphasized that no one is questioning the scientific method, they are questioning whether scientists adhere to it. All the things causing concern about science -- such as the problem in being able to reproduce results in medical and other research -- risk the good standing of the scientific enterprise.
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