Americans have regained modest trust in scientists: survey

NEW YORK, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) — For the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the public’s trust in scientists has improved, according to a survey published on Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
About 76 percent of Americans say they have confidence that scientists act in the public’s best interest, a modest but significant improvement from last year but about 10 points lower than the figure before the pandemic.
This year’s uptick was driven largely by a slight increase in trust among Republicans, a group that also experienced the steepest drop in confidence during the pandemic, said Alec Tyson, a Pew researcher and the report’s lead author.
“Still, the roughly 9,500 Americans surveyed were divided over whether scientists should play a role in policy decisions — a particularly timely issue now, as President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to appoint leaders of the country’s science and health agencies,” said The New York Times in its report about the survey results. ■