Representation in Science and Trust in Scientists in the United States

Scientists provide important information to the public. Whether that information influences decision-making depends on trust. In the United States, gaps in trust in scientists have been stable for fifty years: women, Black people, rural residents, religious people, less educated people, and people with lower socioeconomic status express less trust than their counterparts (who are more represented among scientists). We probe the factors that influence trust. We find that members of the less trusting strata exhibit greater trust toward scientists who share their characteristics (e.g., women trust women scientists more than men scientists). They view such scientists as having more benevolence and, in most cases, more integrity. In contrast, those from high-trusting groups appear mostly indifferent about scientists' characteristics. Our results highlight how increasing the presence of underrepresented groups among scientists can increase trust. This means expanding representation across several divides-not just gender and race, but also rurality and socioeconomic status.