Black Americans have less confidence in scientists to act in the public interest
There’s a 14-point gap between the shares of White and Black adults in the U.S. who say they have a great deal of confidence in scientists.
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Public confidence in scientists has remained stable for decades
44% of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the scientific community, while 47% have only some confidence and 7% have hardly any.
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Black Americans face higher COVID-19 risks, are more hesitant to trust medical scientists, get vaccinated
Black Americans stand out from other racial and ethnic groups in their attitudes toward key health care questions associated with the pandemic.
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Partisan Differences Over the Pandemic Response Are Growing
Polling finds public trust in medical scientists has increased but only among Democrats – while optimism about a vaccine is broadly shared.
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Polling Shows Signs of Public Trust in Institutions amid the Pandemic
Americans see “social distancing” measures urged by public health officials to limit the spread of COVID-19 as generally appropriate.
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Amid coronavirus threat, Americans generally have a high level of trust in medical doctors
In 2019, 74% of Americans said they had a mostly positive view of doctors; 68% had a mostly favorable view of medical research scientists.
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Key findings about Americans’ confidence in science and their views on scientists’ role in society
Here is a roundup of key takeaways from our studies of U.S. public opinion about science issues and their effect on society.
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Most Americans are wary of industry-funded research
The public is somewhat more positive about the effects of government funding on research and practitioner recommendations.
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Most Americans say science has brought benefits to society and expect more to come
A strong majority of the American public thinks of science as having a positive effect on society, and most expect continued benefits to accrue from science in the years ahead.
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Most Americans have positive image of research scientists, but fewer see them as good communicators
About nine-in-ten Americans see research scientists as intelligent, while a smaller majority describe them as good communicators.
