Abstract
BackgroundAmong American Conservatives, but not Liberals, trust in science has been declining since the 1970's. Climate science has become particularly polarized, with Conservatives being more likely than Liberals to reject the notion that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the globe. Conversely, opposition to genetically-modified (GM) foods and vaccinations is often ascribed to the political Left although reliable data are lacking. There are also growing indications that rejection of science is suffused by conspiracist ideation, that is the general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories including the specific beliefs that inconvenient scientific findings constitute a “hoax.”Methodology/Principal findingsWe conducted a propensity weighted internet-panel survey of the U.S. population and show that conservatism and free-market worldview strongly predict rejection of climate science, in contrast to their weaker and opposing effects on acceptance of vaccinations. The two worldview variables do not predict opposition to GM. Conspiracist ideation, by contrast, predicts rejection of all three scientific propositions, albeit to greatly varying extents. Greater endorsement of a diverse set of conspiracy theories predicts opposition to GM foods, vaccinations, and climate science.ConclusionsFree-market worldviews are an important predictor of the rejection of scientific findings that have potential regulatory implications, such as climate science, but not necessarily of other scientific issues. Conspiracist ideation, by contrast, is associated with the rejection of all scientific propositions tested. We highlight the manifold cognitive reasons why conspiracist ideation would stand in opposition to the scientific method. The involvement of conspiracist ideation in the rejection of science has implications for science communicators.
Highlights
The U.S public has become increasingly polarized in their attitudes towards science
Free-market worldviews are an important predictor of the rejection of scientific findings that have potential regulatory implications, such as climate science, but not necessarily of other scientific issues
Polarization is pronounced with respect to climate change: People who embrace a laissez-faire vision of the free market are less likely to accept that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet than people with an egalitarian-communitarian outlook [2,3,4,5,6,7]
Summary
The U.S public has become increasingly polarized in their attitudes towards science. Since the 1970’s, Conservatives—unlike Liberals or Moderates—have become increasingly skeptical and distrustful of science [1]. The crucial role of cultural worldviews in determining beliefs about climate science is well established, at least two important questions remain unanswered. It is unknown how worldviews shape people’s opinions about other controversial scientific issues, such as geneticallymodified (GM) foods and childhood vaccinations, both of which have attracted considerable opposition. Social conservatives have taken a contrarian stance because HPV is transmitted primarily through sexual contact, thereby associating vaccinations with potential promiscuity [16] To resolve these ambiguities, we examined the role of worldviews in determining. Climate science has become polarized, with Conservatives being more likely than Liberals to reject the notion that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the globe. There are growing indications that rejection of science is suffused by conspiracist ideation, that is the general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories including the specific beliefs that inconvenient scientific findings constitute a ‘‘hoax.’’
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