The Irish public’s trust in scientists is stronger than the global average, according to new research. It found people in Ireland had an average trust level in scientists of 3.84 on a scale from one to five, against a global average of 3.62, placing Ireland 14th out of the 68 countries surveyed.
The research, conducted by an international team including researchers from Trinity College Dublin and published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, found people in Egypt had highest level of trust in scientists, at 4.3 out of five, and those in Albania had the lowest (3.05).
The Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism study is the largest post-pandemic research on public trust in scientists. It is a collaborative effort undertaken by an international team of 241 researchers to survey 71,922 people in 68 countries, including many under-researched countries in what is termed as the Global South.
The sample size was 500 people for the Irish segment of the study, with participants questioned on a range of topics including trust in science, definitions of science and scientists, and perceived benefits of science.
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Ireland’s contribution to the study was led by Prof Joseph Roche and Prof Mairéad Hurley of Trinity’s Science and Society Group.
Prof Roche said there are often claims about “a crisis of trust in science” but the results of the survey “tell another story”.
Further research into the Irish findings is nearing completion, and is to be published later this year.
Meanwhile, the Ipsos B&A Veracity Index for 2024, the longest-running poll on trust in professions in Ireland, first measured in 2005, again found three jobs in healthcare to be the most trusted professions.
Some 97 per cent of respondents said they trusted nurses, 96 per cent said they trusted pharmacists and 94 per cent said the same about doctors. The index noted a three point decline in the level of trust in scientists, which fell to 81 per cent.
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