Seven out of ten Brazilians say they trust science
The majority of Brazilians (68.9%) declared they trust science. The number is part of the study Confiança na Ciência no Brasil em Tempos de Pandemia (“Confidence in Science in Brazil in Times of Pandemic”), by the National Public Communication Institute for Science and Technology (INCT-CPCT), based at research foundation Fiocruz.
While far from low, the percentage is below the results from other recent polls, such as the State of Science Index, conducted in 2022 by US giant 3M, which displayed a 90-percent rate for the statement “I trust science.”
Among the factors ascribed to the decline are organized misinformation campaigns, which grew in both quantity and impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists
Among the most trustworthy sources of information among Brazilians, the survey reports, are scientists—described by respondents as honest and as doing work that that benefits the people.
Cited as the most reliable sources of information were doctors (60.1%), followed by scientists (47.3%), and journalists (36.4%). “Artists and politicians are cited less frequently, with 1.5 percent each,” the text reads.
However, only eight percent said they knew the name of a Brazilian scientist. Among the most cited ones are public health physicians Oswaldo Cruz and Carlos Chagas, born in the 19th century. Two of the most important research institutes in Brazil have been named after them.
Doctors Jaqueline Goes, from the University of São Paulo (USP), and Margareth Dalcolmo, from the National Public Health School Sérgio Arouca (Ensp/Fiocruz), were also remembered. During the pandemic period, the two were often called upon by the media to discuss diseases and combat misinformation about the effectiveness of vaccines.
Despite believing that scientists allowed political ideology to influence their research on the novel coronavirus during the pandemic, respondents seem to have no doubts about the benefits stemming from scientific development. Only 3.5 percent revealed that science brings “no benefit” to humanity.
Survey
A total of 2,069 people aged 16 or older are said to have been interviewed between August and October this year. The survey’s margin of error stands at 2.2 percent, with a confidence interval of 95 percent. The interviews were conducted at home, individually.
“The mostly positive perception among the public when it comes to science and scientists and the lack of evidence of the existence of an organized movement of science deniers in the country, are important findings in the creation of more effective strategies to combat misinformation directed to specific groups of people, who respond differently to different types of communication,” the researchers pointed out.
“The interest in the topic and the expected benefits from science—such as quality of life, job opportunities, social equity—can facilitate learning processes and the social appropriation of knowledge,” they went on to state.
