By: Yvonne Liu

It seems that the two major parties trust in science during the pandemic went in opposite directions. The Democrats’ confidence in science has grown, while the Republicans’ confidence plummeted.

In 2018 Democrats and Republicans had about an equal amount of confidence. In 2022, the Republican’s confidence had fallen to 26% while the Democrats had remained the same as before the pandemic.

In 2022, 34% of Americans had a lot of confidence in the medical field, compared to 39% before the pandemic.

The split between political parties is a cause for concern. “You can definitely see the impact here of people taking cues from their political leaders,” Benz said.

Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Assn. For the Advancement of Science,” sees them as part of an “overall pulling apart of our communities” and a loss of trust in many institutions. “

Parikh believes that rebuilding science trust has high stakes, including doing so across political lines.

“Science must be bipartisan,” he said. “The causes of Alzheimer’s are the same whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat. The fusion that goes on in the sun is the same whether you live in Topeka or you live in San Francisco.”