Americans’ trust in scientists is slightly higher than it was last year, but remains lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trust moves slightly higher but remains lower than before the pandemic

A majority of Americans say they have confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests. Confidence ratings have moved slightly higher in the last year, marking a shift away from the decline in trust seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new Pew Research Center survey of 9,593 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 21-27, 2024, takes a close look at the public image of scientists, who serve as one potential source of information for Americans navigating complex policy debates and everyday decisions around things like their personal health and wellness.

About three-quarters of Americans say they have either a great deal (26%) or a fair amount (51%) of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This share is up slightly since last year. Still, levels of confidence in scientists remain lower than in April 2020 – at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, 87% expressed at least a fair amount of confidence in scientists, including 39% who said they had a great deal of confidence.

Key Findings

  • 76% of Americans express a great deal or fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests.
  • Majorities view research scientists as intelligent (89%) and focused on solving real-world problems (65%).
  • Communication is seen as an area of relative weakness for scientists.
  • Americans are split over scientists’ role in policymaking.