Climate Change & Trust in Science: A Growing Concern
- A new report reveals a growing divide in Americans' trust in scientists,coinciding with a period of significant shifts in federal science policy and record-breaking global temperatures.
- The report details how the Trump administration has fundamentally altered federal science policy.
- A recent poll shows a stark partisan gap in confidence in scientists.
As global officials confirm that 2025 was Earth’s third-hottest year on record, a new poll shows Americans are sharply divided over the role of science in the United States.
A report published Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that a majority of Americans want the U.S. to be a world leader in science, but Republicans and Democrats disagree on whether it is indeed.
The report details how the Trump administration has fundamentally altered federal science policy. This includes eliminating research grants, reducing science and health workforces, and deprioritizing climate change research. Last December, the administration moved to dismantle the National center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, a leading climate and weather research institution. More on the dismantling of NCAR.
A recent poll shows a stark partisan gap in confidence in scientists. Ninety percent of Democrats report at least a fair amount of confidence, compared to only 65% of Republicans. This divide has remained consistent in surveys since 2021.
Experts aren’t surprised by these results.”It’s part of a larger trend toward the politicization of science,” says Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, pointing to debates surrounding vaccines and climate change. He also expressed concern that the U.S.is focusing on becoming a major oil and gas exporter while other nations, particularly China, are investing heavily in clean energy technologies.
These findings come as global warming continues to accelerate. Eight international groups confirmed Wednesday that 2025 was the third-warmest year on record, nearly matching 2023 and trailing only 2024, the warmest year ever recorded.The groups include NOAA, NASA, the european Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, and others.
Copernicus data shows the past 11 years have been the 11 warmest on record. Last year’s global average temperature was approximately 2.65 degrees above pre-industrial levels,nearing the critical 2.7-degree limit. Read more about the 2.7-degree threshold.