Opposing ends of the spectrum: Exploring trust in scientific and religious authorities
Abstract
Given the ethical questions that surround emerging science, this study is interested in studying public trust in scientific and religious authorities for information about the risks and benefits of science. Using data from a nationally representative survey of American adults, we employ regression analysis to better understand the relationships between several variables—including values, knowledge, and media attention—and trust in religious organizations and scientific institutions. We found that Evangelical Christians are generally more trusting of religious authority figures to tell the truth about the risks and benefits of science and technology, and only slightly less likely than non-Evangelicals to trust scientific authorities for the same information. We also found that many Evangelicals use mediated information and science knowledge differently than non-Evangelicals, with both increased knowledge and attention to scientific media having positive impacts on trust in scientific authorities among the latter, but not the former group.
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Both scientific expert testimony and science reporting receive a high degree of trust and authority from the public compared with non-scientific claims.
“both types of public scientific testimony share a key feature: overall, the public assigns a high degree of trust and authority to them compared to non-scientific claims (Pew Research Center [2015]; Jamieson [2017]; Cacciatore et al. [2018]; Sanz-Menéndez and Cruz-Castro [2019]).”
From Science Communication and the Problematic Impact of Descriptive Norms (2023) · cites this paper as Cacciatore et al. [2018]
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sanz-Menéndez, L., & Cruz-Castro, L. (2019) · Public Understanding of Science · doi:10.1177/0963662519840946 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Science Communication and the Problematic Impact of Descriptive Norms
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- Authors
- Cacciatore, M. A., Browning, N., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., Xenos, M. A., & Corley, E. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- University of Indiana, USA
- University of Wisconsin System (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cacciatore, Michael A.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Public Understanding of Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-07-25
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 11-28
- ISSN
- 0963-6625 (ISSN-L)
- 1361-6609
- OpenAlex
- W2485758860
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 10.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Public Understanding of Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Science Education and Perceptions
- Keywords
- public trust in science, evangelical Christians, science and religion, scientific knowledge, media attention, religious organizations, science communication, United States adults
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