Trust in scientists
Think tank: The Policy Institute
Author(s): Prof Bobby Duffy; Eliel Cohen; Paolo Morini
September 9, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute examines the role of values and moral and political identities in the UK.
Trust in scientists in the UK is strong overall, with 63% indicating they have high trust in scientists in general – but a major new study finds this trust is closely shaped by people’s values, identity and politics, showing some of the same patterns of division over science that have emerged in the US.
The research finds trust rests less on whether scientists are seen as expert, and more on whether people feel scientists are “on the side of people like them”.
This view tracks political support closely: only 32% of Reform UK supporters feel scientists are on their side, versus 71% of Green supporters – a 39-point gap.
