Trust in Science: Overcoming Misperceptions and Internal Barriers

The main research question is: How are public attitudes to science formed, how do people justify them, and how does this affect their decision-making on issues related to science? The scientisation of society is a process in which expertise and the understanding of information are becoming ever more important for individuals’ lives and for their orientation in society. On the one hand, the socialisation, or social contextualisation, of science encourages the development of applied scientific knowledge and a more active role for society, one in which society “speaks back to science” (see also Weingart 2008). On the other hand, some parts of society can be seen to oppose science and scientific opinions, focusing instead on finding data and explanations that confirm their pre-held opinions. This became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when conspiracy theories spread rapidly. This triggered discussions on the importance of public trust in science and encouraged the measurement of public attitudes to science in public opinion surveys, such as the Eurobarometer.

However, this approach to measurement currently treats science and scientists in an overly simplified way. Questions in public opinion surveys often assume that science generates information and knowledge that have the status of definitive truth; that science always manifests itself in results that are positive, or should be accepted as positive; that science can replace political decision-making; and that all scientific fields use the same scientific method (Au et al. 2024; Pardo and Calvo 2002). Through this research project, we aim to broaden this perspective, address the multifaceted nature of public attitudes to science and of the role of science in contemporary societies, and shed light on the heterogeneity within the scientific community.

We have set the following objectives:

1. To increase understanding of public attitudes to science and the way they are formed, and to identify which actors play important roles in forming public opinion on science and its role in contemporary societies.
2. To analyse how conflicting opinions within the scientific community influence public attitudes to science, people’s behaviour, and decision-making on science-related issues. We also aim to deepen this understanding by studying how scientists and researchers perceive conflicts within science and their potential for conflict resolution.
3. To determine how successful currently proposed approaches aimed at addressing public attitudes to science and conflicts within science can be, and to propose alternative solutions.
4. To determine how public attitudes to science and scientists’ relationship with the scientific community can be observed in a wider social context, and, for this purpose, to develop new ways of approaching and measuring public attitudes to science and trust in science.

To achieve these objectives, the project is based on an approach that foregrounds the collection of qualitative data, as such data allow for a more in-depth understanding of the selected phenomena. In this way, we aim to develop new ways of measuring public attitudes to science, which will also enable us to formulate recommendations for improving current measurement instruments. Instead of conducting a new survey, the project will include several focus groups with diverse groups of participants. In studying the scientific community, we will conduct semi-structured interviews and use the Delphi method to develop consensus among experts (see also Poplas Susič 2012). The combination of different research methods, data, and approaches highlights the need for interdisciplinary cooperation and greater reflexivity.