A new global study of nearly 70,000 people in 68 countries reveals that climate scientists are generally trusted less than scientists overall — a difference known as the “trust gap.” This gap varied by region, with smaller differences in North America, Europe, and Oceania, and larger ones in parts of Latin America and Africa.
Open the image in a separate window | The source: datawrapper.de
These data are summarized on the following map:
Open the image in a separate window | The source: datawrapper.de
The red means people trust climate scientists more than scientists overall. The blue means people trust climate scientists less than scientists overall.
Political orientation was a key factor either: right-leaning individuals in many Western countries expressed lower trust in climate scientists. However, in some Asian and Eastern European countries, the opposite was true:
Open the image in a separate window | The source: datawrapper.de
These data can be interpreted in different ways depending on your political views and attitude toward climate change.
Personally, I think climate scientists have lost trust because this field of science has become politicized. Most people associate politics with manipulation.
Secondly, climate change has become a political talking point — just like gun rights or abortion rights. People may view climate change and climate scientists negatively simply because they see it as part of the agenda of a political party they oppose.
Personally, I don't doubt that the climate is changing, but I am cautious about climate scientists' work overall, as climate science has ceased to be solely about science.