Scientists at the University of Bath, as well as Oxford and Aberdeen Universities, have shown that since the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in scientists has increased significantly, but attitudes towards science have become more polarized. This is reported in an article published in the journal PLOS ONE.

The researchers analyzed the results of a survey of more than 2,000 British adults who reported whether their trust in scientists has increased, remained the same or decreased. At the same time, in order to determine the connection with the pandemic, respondents were asked how much their level of trust in geneticists or geologists had changed.

For many people, the level of trust in geneticists has increased, while the attitude towards geologists has not changed. In addition, an increase in confidence in pharmaceutical companies that have been involved in the development of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been reported.

However, people who reported negative attitudes towards scientists before the pandemic were more likely to become even more negative about it, regardless of their education, political views, religious beliefs, and age. On the contrary, confidence increased among those who initially had a positive attitude towards science. Since a change in trust is a predictor of readiness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, it is likely that this will have public health implications, the authors of the paper said.