Scientists are still held in high esteem by the British public despite collapsing trust in many elite UK institutions, new polling suggests – although universities are perceived less favourably.
Drawing on a nationally representative survey of 4,173 people, carried out by polling firm Icaro in late July, the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) found that scientists and researchers retain significant public support, with 69 per cent of respondents agreeing it is important for government to invest in research and development (R&D). Some 61 per cent think this investment – currently about £20 billion annually – makes a significant contribution to national prosperity.
This suggests that “science appears to have weathered [a] collapse in trust” in major public institutions – including the NHS, the BBC and government – which had seen “scepticism of institutions [morph into] something closer to contempt”, says the report, published on 27 August.
“R&D appears to have been relatively well sheltered from this pervasive pessimism,” the report continues, adding: “Trust in R&D messengers, and in-principle support for investment, remain high and extends across all voter groups,” including Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
