Poll: Americans, especially conservatives, have lost trust in scientists since the pandemic started

[AZProgressive]

As the pandemic nears the conclusion of its second year, a new report from the Pew Research Center shows Americans' faith in medical scientists and scientists is slipping. Not only that, but Americans' confidence in all nine groups on the survey fell in the last year just as the omicron variant was first detected in the United States.

The polling also illustrated a stark partisan divide related to political affiliation and trust in science and medicine. In 2016, 16 percent of respondents who identified as Republicans or leaned Republican said they had little or no confidence in medical scientists. By December 2021, that number rose to 34 percent. In contrast, those who were Democrats or leaned Democrat saw virtually no change in their feelings towards medical scientists in the same time span.

Overall, trust in medical scientists and scientists dipped to levels not seen since the pandemic began. While the partisan divide continues to grow regarding trust in medical scientists and scientists, both groups remain the most trusted of any institution included in the survey.

In stark contrast, business leaders and elected officials represented the two least trusted groups. While both saw a decline last year, the percent of Americans that believe business leaders have their best interests in mind is about 16 points higher than the percentage of those that believe the same about elected officials. Only 24% of Americans trusted elected officials as opposed to the 40% of Americans that trusted business leaders.

https://www.salon.com/2022/02/17/poll-americans-especially-conservatives-have-lost-trust-in-scientists-since-the-started/

[BootinUp]

1. Alternate title: People, when confronted with facts, stick their head in the sand. nt

[C_U_L8R]

2. Maybe conservatives just aren't very smart.

[griffi94]

3. Mostly what conservatives have lost is their grip on reality.

They disbelieve anything that contradicts their worldview.

[Metaphorical]

4. Actually, this is pretty typical behavior

when the environment is changing rapidly, what I call a change storm. Some people actually start changing their behavior when the factors involved in major societal change are just beginning to be felt. The next group consists of those who are fairly open about novel experiences. However, then there's a chasm before the mainstream adopters, and the laggard group adopts years or decades after everyone else does, assuming they do so at all.

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*JzEpa6aK92q5KTyJGYDn_g.png

https://medium.com/@shivayogiks/what-is-technology-adoption-life-cycle-and-chasm-e07084e7991f#:~:text=The%20model%20indicates%20that%20the,product%20are%20called%20%E2%80%9Claggards%E2%80%9D.

The pandemic has induced major societal change, bringing the future forward by about ten years before it would have manifested otherwise. Late mainstream and laggards are generally resistant to change, are distrustful of "experts" and more inclined to follow their chosen community and religious leaders' cues.

[struggle4progress]

5. "First they said the world was round! Next they said the sun didn't go around the earth!

And then they said invisible little germs caused diseases! I can't take any more of this!"

[texasfiddler]

6. Since the pandemic and January 6th

All Republicans can go to hell including my in-laws and what used to be friends. That is what’s changed with me , so fuck em all.

[EarlG]

7. It's so crazy if you think about it

The Covid vaccine is a human-made miracle. Just months after the virus first appeared scientists had sequenced its genome. The first vaccines were available within a year. A year after that, hundreds of millions of doses have been given out. The vaccine, along with sensible (and scientifically proven) ideas such as wearing a mask in enclosed public spaces, has saved literally millions of lives. The doctors and scientists are damn heroes and should be celebrated!

The polling also illustrated a stark partisan divide related to political affiliation and trust in science and medicine. In 2016, 16 percent of respondents who identified as Republicans or leaned Republican said they had little or no confidence in medical scientists. By December 2021, that number rose to 34 percent. In contrast, those who were Democrats or leaned Democrat saw virtually no change in their feelings towards medical scientists in the same time span.

This is Karl Rove's "we create our own reality" gone mad. It's the fantasy land that conservatives are living in. They are so invested in believing that vaccines and masks are bullshit, that they're trying to create a new reality for themselves through sheer force of will. And once fully bought in, scientists and doctors inevitably become evil and untrustworthy. If vaccines are dangerous, and the doctors are telling you that they're NOT dangerous, then the doctors must be liars!

Also see "teaching actual history is bad because it makes it harder for us to pretend that it didn't happen" for further evidence of this.

[dalton99a]

8. +1. And reality is Trump, Murdoch, Abbott, DeSantis, Noem etc. are fully vaccinated

They were first in line for the vaccine

[samplegirl]

9. All bullshit

They don’t like being told what to do! Self centered pricks just like their leader!

[Duppers]

10. The religious right never believed in science...

..to begin with. They just added vaccines to the pile of things they reject.