Almost a third of UK voters think science is too driven by social and political causes, while one in five believe scientists are “too woke”, new polling suggests.

Drawing on a national survey of more than 4,000 people, research published by More in Common on 17 April found that levels of trust in science remain high in the UK, with 84 per cent of respondents having at least “some trust” in science and 34 per cent trusting science “a lot”.

However, the survey found that about a third of voters (29 per cent) believe science and scientists are too concerned with social and political causes, although this was lower than the 36 per cent who thought they were not. Some 34 per cent said they did not know.

That concern over the politics of UK scientists was higher among men (35 per cent felt scientists were too socially concerned) and Reform UK voters, of whom 45 per cent felt this way, according to the research commissioned by the medical research charity Wellcome.

����Vlog

Asked if scientists were “too woke”, 20 per cent of voters agreed against 34 per cent who did not. Again, male voters agreed most with this sentiment (24 per cent agreed) while 45 per cent of Reform UK voters concurred with this statement.  

A separate poll of UK scientists suggests that the public’s perception of scientists’ political leanings may be fairly accurate. Asked if they would consider themselves “progressive activists”, some 39 per cent of scientists said yes compared with just 12 per cent of the wider British public, polling found. However, the study polled just 142 scientists.

����Vlog

Luke Tryl, executive director at More in Common, a campaign group and research body set up in 2016 to further community cohesion, said trust levels in UK science remained high and the perception of it was “relatively unpolarised at a time when trust in other institutions is seemingly in free fall.”

However, there are “real warning signs and pitfalls the scientific community needs to avoid,” he continued.

“Many worry that science has become too associated with politics, and our research shows that scientists’ own world view leans to the left of the wider public. This places a premium on scientists demonstrating diversity of political outlook, avoiding false certainty and demonstrating real transparency,” he said.

Mark Henderson, executive director for corporate affairs and engagement at Wellcome, said it was “reassuring that science remains broadly trusted” but also noted the “warning signs in this report”.

����Vlog

“To earn trust, we need to be transparent, listen to different perspectives and demonstrate the value of science. This is especially important because our findings show that the prevailing views and values of scientists are not representative of the wider public. We have to reach beyond our own circles to engage with the whole of society,” he said.

These findings are the first in a series from Wellcome this year on trust in science. The next edition of the Wellcome Global Monitor, the world’s largest study into how people think and feel about science, will be published in the autumn.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com