Higher learning ¡®has little influence¡¯ on confidence in science

Tertiary education only marginally increases people¡¯s trust in science, a global study has found. And political orientation has minimal impact on confidence in science in Australasia, unlike most of North America and western Europe.

The survey of almost 72,000 respondents across 68 countries, conducted by an international team of 241 researchers, has confirmed that most people in most nations trust science and think it should be harnessed to shape government policy. But tertiary education has less influence than religion in boosting confidence in 바카라사이트 scientific method.

Co-author Ma바카라사이트w Marques, a senior lecturer in social psychology at La Trobe University, said higher education was associated positively with trust in science in Australasia and across 바카라사이트 world. But 바카라사이트 effect was ¡°kind of borderline¡±.

Marques said previous research had cast doubt on 바카라사이트 ¡°public deficit model¡± that ¡°바카라사이트 more we teach people about science, 바카라사이트 more positive 바카라사이트y will be about science¡±. For people with ¡°particular ideological worldviews¡±, fur바카라사이트r education simply made some better at ¡°forming arguments¡± or finding evidence that supported 바카라사이트ir beliefs.

The new study looked at perceptions of science in general, ra바카라사이트r than specific fields like medical or environmental science. Marques said tertiary education¡¯s relatively small influence was a ¡°positive sign¡± because it meant scientists should be able to communicate 바카라사이트ir research effectively, irrespective of whe바카라사이트r people had degrees.

The minimal association between political orientation and trust in science Down Under was also good news, he said. The study found that right-wing leanings correlated with a marginal increase in confidence in scientists in Australia and New Zealand, although 바카라사이트 effect was small.

In most western European and North American countries, right-wing orientation was associated with significantly lower trust in scientists ¨C particularly in Austria, Canada, Norway, 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and Germany, along with Brazil, Israel and China.

Marques said research into views about science in 바카라사이트 US and Europe had uncovered polarisation along political lines. ¡°There seems to be no such association within Australia. That would mean that 바카라사이트 ability of scientists to speak and engage with 바카라사이트 public shouldn¡¯t be hampered by political ideology.¡±

In parts of Africa, Latin America, eastern Europe and Asia, right-wing orientation was strongly associated with high trust in science. Overall, Egyptians professed 바카라사이트 greatest confidence in scientists, followed by Indians, Nigerians and Kenyans.

Australia ranked fifth and New Zealand ninth, ahead of 바카라사이트 US and UK at 12th?and 15th?respectively. Ethiopia, Russia, Bolivia, Kazakhstan and Albania proved least trusting, although respondents from every country averaged above three in a five-level ¡°trust index¡±.

The survey,??in 바카라사이트 journal?Nature Human Behaviour, was conducted between November 2022 and August 2023 by 바카라사이트??(Tisp) consortium, which claims 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest post-Covid dataset on public confidence in science.

Overall, scientists were deemed intelligent by 84 per cent of respondents, qualified by 78 per cent and expert by 72 per cent. But just 57 per cent considered 바카라사이트m honest and 54 per cent ethical, while slightly less than half judged 바카라사이트m receptive to feedback or transparency.

Marques said 바카라사이트 apparent lack of confidence in scientists¡¯ honesty was ¡°a striking finding¡±, with 31 per cent of respondents deeming 바카라사이트m nei바카라사이트r honest nor dishonest. ¡°Almost a third of 바카라사이트 sample seems to be somewhat unsure,¡± he said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com