UK's Strong Trust in Science Falls to 34% as Polarization Deepens
Updated
Updated · dongascience.com · Jul 2
UK's Strong Trust in Science Falls to 34% as Polarization Deepens
1 articles · Updated · dongascience.com · Jul 2
Summary
34% of people in the UK said they trust science “very much” in April 2026, down from 63% in 2020, even though 84% still said they at least somewhat trust science.
Political sorting is a key driver: in the US, trust in scientists among Republicans fell to 65% in 2025 from 85% in 2020, while Democrats barely moved at 90% from 91%.
76% of respondents in Edelman’s 2025 survey across 28 countries said they trust scientists, roughly in line with teachers at 73% and well above journalists at 54% or national leaders at 49%.
72,000 people surveyed across 68 countries in 2022-2023 rated trust in scientists at 3.6 out of 5, with no country recording a low-trust level.
Experts say politicians and misinformation are politicizing science, warning that weaker trust can undermine support for climate and health policies and deter medical treatment.
Is falling trust in science a public crisis, or a necessary demand for greater accountability from researchers themselves?
Beyond politics, how does the 'publish or perish' culture inside academia fuel public distrust in science?
If facts alone don't build trust, what community-level strategies can effectively restore faith in scientific institutions?
Lukewarm and Conditional: Why Strong Public Trust in UK Science Is Declining (2026 Report)
Overview
Public trust in UK science remains high, but since 2020 there has been a clear shift from strong, unwavering trust to a more lukewarm and conditional confidence. This change is driven by a decline in the number of people expressing strong trust, with public confidence now depending more on specific situations and the perceived reliability of information. Communication of scientific uncertainty and the way science is discussed in new media have made people more cautious. Although more people are talking about science and have access to information, this has not led to a deeper connection or stronger trust in science.