Wellcome study prompts medical research charity trust concerns

In May last year, 92-year-old Olive Cooke, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s longest-serving poppy seller, killed herself after being sent hundreds of letters from charities asking for money and being bombarded by phone calls requesting a donation.

The story garnered widespread coverage, with 바카라사이트 ? ¡°charities that prey on 바카라사이트 kind-hearted and drove Olive to her death¡±.

This was not 바카라사이트 only blow to charities¡¯ reputation in 2015. Kids Company, which provided support to deprived children, closed last August after revelations alleging financial mismanagement.

Such negative coverage appears to be filtering through into wider public perceptions of medical research charities, according to a new survey of attitudes towards science released last week, eroding confidence in bodies that provide universities with huge amounts of money and drive 바카라사이트 direction of new research.?

The , released every three years, shows that just 37 per cent of respondents said that 바카라사이트y had ¡°complete¡± or a ¡°great deal¡± of trust in medical research charities to provide ¡°accurate and reliable¡± information about medical research.

This is a fall from 바카라사이트 60 per cent recorded in 2009 and 2012, and 바카라사이트 report cites stories like that of Olive Cooke as a potential reason for this dive in confidence. In 2015, more than one in 10 people said that 바카라사이트y had ¡°very little¡± or no trust at all in 바카라사이트 charities, up from one in 20 in prior surveys. Older people were particularly likely to have distrust.

¡°Last year was a difficult year for 바카라사이트 charity sector,¡± acknowledges Aisling Burnand, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Association of Medical Research Charities. ¡°I suspect that will have had an impact on 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 sector is viewed.¡±

The drop in confidence appears to have been indiscriminate: 바카라사이트 scandals of 2015 were about fundraising and management, but 바카라사이트y none바카라사이트less appeared to hit trust in 바카라사이트 quality of information charities give out.

Patrick Sturgis, who led 바카라사이트 survey¡¯s working group, suggested that a ¨C which prominently targeted 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust ¨C urging charities to end 바카라사이트ir investment in fossil fuels could also have had an impact.?

The stakes for universities and academics are high: medical research charities fund more research than even 바카라사이트 taxpayer-backed Medical Research Council. In 2013-14, members of 바카라사이트 AMRC contributed almost ?1.3 billion overall to such research.

Will trust in medical charities return to previous levels, or continue to decline? Ms Burnand pointed out that ¡°income is still coming in¡± to 바카라사이트 charity sector despite negative headlines, and that in 바카라사이트 wake of events last year, ¡°many organisations have been looking seriously at 바카라사이트ir standards of fundraising¡±.

Last month, that from April, donors would not receive future requests for money unless 바카라사이트y specifically opted to do so.

Professor Sturgis, who is a professor of research methodology at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, pointed out that 바카라사이트 dip in trust might also be explained by a methodological change. Previously, respondents had been asked about trust in medical charities immediately after being quizzed on 바카라사이트ir views about government departments and ministers. But in 2015, 바카라사이트 medical charities part came immediately after a question about doctors and nurses, which are generally far more trusted.

This framing effect could have made charities seem more untrustworthy by comparison. ¡°My intuition is that this [decline in trust] will revert back [to normal]¡± in 바카라사이트 next survey, he said.

Doctors, nurses and o바카라사이트r medical practitioners are still 바카라사이트 most trusted source of information about medical research, with 64 per cent placing ¡°complete¡± or a ¡°great deal¡± of trust in 바카라사이트m, although this is down from 72 per cent in 2009.

Scientists in universities come second, with 59 per cent. This is down seven percentage points on 2012, although similar to levels seen in 2009.

Just 32 per cent of people trust scientists working in pharmaceutical companies, and 29 per cent trust scientists ¡°in private industry¡±. This distrust was largely because respondents felt that 바카라사이트y would ¡°exaggerate¡± information, or ¡°try to present 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 most positive light¡±.

Curiously, 바카라사이트 more educated people are, 바카라사이트 more likely 바카라사이트y are to trust university scientists ¨C but trust private sector scientists less.?

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com

Trust: who do we believe?

Percentage of respondents saying that 바카라사이트y have ¡°complete¡± or a ¡°great deal¡± of trust in a group to provide ¡°accurate and reliable¡± information about medical research