No middle ground: Dutch either trust science completely, or not at all

People are becoming increasingly polarized in their trust in science. They either have a great deal of confidence in scientific research or very little. The middle group is shrinking, a study commissioned by the Rathenau Institute showed.

Almost 8,400 people answered the survey. The questions asked people to rate their confidence in science from 1 to 10. Just over 34 percent gave a 9 or a 10. During the previous survey, in 2021, almost 21 percent of people gave the highest scores. The group of people who gave a score below 5 has also risen, from almost 10 percent to just under 15 percent.

Just over half of the respondents fell into the remaining middle group, giving science a score of 6, 7, or 8, in other words, a passing or fairly positive grade. Four years ago, this group made up nearly 70 percent of those surveyed.

On average, the participants gave a 7.5 when it comes to their trust in science. This is slightly higher than the 7.4 that the participants gave four years ago. Rathenau thinks this is surprising because confidence in the government, parliament, the court of law, the media, trade unions, and large companies has dropped. In addition, people have little confidence in how politicians use scientific insights to shape policy.

The study shows residents of larger cities have more confidence in science. For example, people from Utrecht gave an average score of 8.3, and Eindhoven gave an average score of 8.2. Residents in Amsterdam, Tilburg, Groningen, and Maastricht gave an average score of 8.

Over 50 participants lived in Bergen op Zoom, and they gave an average score of 5.9 out of 10. In Opsterland, Friesland, the confidence in science was given a 5.1.

There is also a difference between scientific fields. Many people have confidence in research on health and vaccines, while scientific research into artificial intelligence and genetically modified organisms is met with much less trust.