With extensive cuts to federal research funding since January 20, 2025, one might wonder what impact this is having on scientists, both in the U.S. and abroad. Recently published results from a survey by AIP (American Institute of Physics) offer a snapshot of how more than 2,000 respondents from AIP’s member organizations view the impact of these changes.
The survey asked respondents to identifyissues of most concern, listing 11 for consideration and also allowing open-ended responses. The issue that ranked highest among respondents was federal funding for science; 76% of respondents living in the U.S. indicated this as a top concern, and 57% of respondents living abroad also shared it as a top concern. Overall, 74% of respondents listed this issue as a top concern.
The following two top concerns were public trust in science (61% overall) and artificial intelligence (49% overall). Of the fixed choices offered, indirect costs for government grants as an issue of least concern for 6% of overall respondents. [Note: This surprisingly low figure may suggest university faculty researchers understand what is included in indirect costs as well as opponents in D.C.]
Another area that affected a good number of respondents in the U.S. (74%) was the negative impact of U.S. policy on recruiting international science and engineering talent to the U.S., compared to the past. Fifty-six percent of respondents living outside the U.S. indicated that they had experienced a negative impact from recent policies.
AIP also asked about how the changes in federal policy or funding affected their employment or work activities. Sixty-one percent of respondents said that there had been no impact on employment or work activities. Nineteen percent of respondents, though, reported losing funding for a planned activity, such as a grant or contract.
A significant number of respondents living outside the U.S. (44%) indicated that they had changed their plans to attend a conference in the U.S. Thirty-one percent of respondents living outside the U.S. did not change their plans, while 25% of non-U.S.-residing respondents had not planned to attend a conference in the U.S.
With so much uncertainty about federal funding for research, it was encouraging that a majority of survey respondents were found to be in favor of encouraging young people to pursue careers in physical sciences: 54% said they would definitely encourage an interested and talented young person to pursue a career in the field.