Trust in science cannot be restored through better communication alone — STAT News
Michelle Groman and Caroline Montojo, presidents and CEOs of private foundations, wrote in an STAT News opinion piece that restoring public trust in science has no simple solution and cannot be reduced to more effective communication alone. In their view, this issue requires a broad perspective, humility, and overcoming divisions between different spheres.
Not communication alone
The authors noted that they often hear concerns at meetings about declining public trust in science. Some participants in such discussions propose simply “communicating better,” while others consider the problem too large-scale to solve.
Groman and Montojo asked whether scientists and the public understand trust, its possible decline, and ways to strengthen it in the same way. They also questioned whether better wording of messages could be a universal solution.
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Polarization and consensus
According to the authors, available indicators still point to a fairly high level of public trust in science and scientists. At the same time, they point to polarization and the presence of public views that diverge from the scientific consensus.
The authors stressed that not every change in trust survey results is an assessment of science, and disagreement with scientific evidence does not necessarily mean a final loss of trust. They believe that messages themselves cannot replace the system of human relationships needed to build and sustain trust.
