Battleground state voters show rising trust in science

Nearly half of voters within battleground states have a deep level of trust in scientists, according to a recent study conducted by Third Way. This represents a significant increase from the 21 percent of voters who held scientists in high esteem in 2016, and is in line with Pew Research Center’s earlier report that found 39 percent of U.S. adults trust science and believe scientists act in the public’s best interest.

However, the authors of the Third Way report note that the respondents to their survey are still defined by partisan lines, particularly when asked about the role that scientists and other experts should play within the policymaking process. The majority of those who identified as Democrats felt that scientists are the ones best suited to make policy suggestions regarding their field of expertise (84 percent), while most Republican respondents ultimately placed their trust in politicians to provide the final input in the decision making process (53 percent) over the scientists (37 percent).

Third Way’s full report, including survey data, may be accessed here.

Pew Research Center’s study on the topic may be found here.