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1Department of Environmental Social Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Public Understanding of Science (Bristol, England)
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Trust in science varies by discipline. In France, people trust biologists and physicists more than climate scientists, economists, or sociologists, with perceived precision and consensus driving trust.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Science Communication
Background:
- Public trust in science is crucial for societal progress and policy-making.
- Previous research, primarily US-based, attributed trust gaps to ideological alignment between the public and scientists.
- Understanding factors influencing trust in science across different cultural contexts is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate trust gaps in scientific disciplines within France.
- To examine the relationship between perceived precision/consensus of scientific findings and public trust in scientists.
- To test the applicability of the rational impression account of trust in science.
Main Methods:
- Survey of a representative French population sample (N=1012).
- Assessed trust levels across various scientific disciplines (biology, physics, climate science, economics, sociology).
- Measured participants' perceptions of the precision and consensus of scientific findings.
Main Results:
- A significant trust gap was observed in France, with biology and physics researchers receiving higher trust than climate science, economics, and sociology researchers.
- Perceived precision and consensus of scientific findings positively correlated with trust in scientists, both across and within disciplines.
- Findings suggest a non-ideological basis for trust in science.
Conclusions:
- Trust gaps in science exist in France, similar to the US, but are not solely explained by ideology.
- Perceived scientific precision and consensus are key drivers of public trust in scientists.
- The rational impression account offers a viable explanation for how people form trust in science through cognitive inference.
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