Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Public understanding of science |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 18 Jan 2025 |
Abstract
Citizens’ trust in science increasingly depends on their political leaning. Structural equation models on survey data from 10 European countries (N = 5306) demonstrate that this science polarization can be captured by a model with four levels of generalization. Voters of populist parties distrust the system and elite in general, which indirectly fuels a broad science skepticism. At another level, right-wingers have less trust in science as a whole than left-wingers. After accounting for this general skepticism, left-wingers and right-wingers are, however, similarly prone to contest ideology-incongruent research fields and specific claims. These findings have three implications. First, research on science skepticism should carefully consider all four levels and their interplay. Second, the science polarization between populist and non-populist voters has fundamentally different origins than the effect of left–right ideology. Third, a four-level model can expose ideological symmetries in science rejection that have previously remained largely undetected in observational studies.
Keywords
- ideology, polarization, populism, science skepticism, trust
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Communication
- Psychology(all)
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
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In: Public understanding of science, 18.01.2025.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A four-level model of political polarization over science
T2 - Evidence from 10 European countries
AU - Rekker, Roderik
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.
PY - 2025/1/18
Y1 - 2025/1/18
N2 - Citizens’ trust in science increasingly depends on their political leaning. Structural equation models on survey data from 10 European countries (N = 5306) demonstrate that this science polarization can be captured by a model with four levels of generalization. Voters of populist parties distrust the system and elite in general, which indirectly fuels a broad science skepticism. At another level, right-wingers have less trust in science as a whole than left-wingers. After accounting for this general skepticism, left-wingers and right-wingers are, however, similarly prone to contest ideology-incongruent research fields and specific claims. These findings have three implications. First, research on science skepticism should carefully consider all four levels and their interplay. Second, the science polarization between populist and non-populist voters has fundamentally different origins than the effect of left–right ideology. Third, a four-level model can expose ideological symmetries in science rejection that have previously remained largely undetected in observational studies.
AB - Citizens’ trust in science increasingly depends on their political leaning. Structural equation models on survey data from 10 European countries (N = 5306) demonstrate that this science polarization can be captured by a model with four levels of generalization. Voters of populist parties distrust the system and elite in general, which indirectly fuels a broad science skepticism. At another level, right-wingers have less trust in science as a whole than left-wingers. After accounting for this general skepticism, left-wingers and right-wingers are, however, similarly prone to contest ideology-incongruent research fields and specific claims. These findings have three implications. First, research on science skepticism should carefully consider all four levels and their interplay. Second, the science polarization between populist and non-populist voters has fundamentally different origins than the effect of left–right ideology. Third, a four-level model can expose ideological symmetries in science rejection that have previously remained largely undetected in observational studies.
KW - ideology
KW - polarization
KW - populism
KW - science skepticism
KW - trust
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85215519997&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/09636625241306352
DO - 10.1177/09636625241306352
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85215519997
JO - Public understanding of science
JF - Public understanding of science
SN - 0963-6625
ER -