Trust in Medical Scientists Has Grown in U.S., but Mainly Among Democrats

Pew Research Center ^ | May 21, 2020 | Cary Funk, Brian Kennedy and Courtney Johnson

[DoodleBob]

Americans’ confidence in medical scientists has grown since the coronavirus outbreak first began to upend life in the United States, as have perceptions that medical doctors hold very high ethical standards. And in their own estimation, most U.S. adults think the outbreak raises the importance of scientific developments.

...

But there are growing partisan divisions over the risk the novel coronavirus poses to public health, as well as public confidence in the scientific and medical community and the role such experts are playing in public policy.

...

The rise in public confidence for scientific groups is in stark contrast with that for other groups and institutions. For example, confidence in the military has been stable over the same time period, and that for journalists has declined.

But public confidence has turned upward with Democrats, not Republicans. Among Democrats and those leaning to the Democratic Party, 53% have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the public interest, up from 37% in January 2019. But among Republicans and those who lean Republican, 31% express a great deal of confidence in medical scientists, roughly the same as in 2019 (32%). As a result, there is now a 22 percentage point difference between partisan groups when it comes to trust in medical scientists.

While a majority of U.S. adults (59%) believe social distancing measures are helping a lot to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Democrats are more likely to say this than Republicans (69% vs. 49%). And, when asked about possible reasons for the ongoing presence of new infections in the U.S., ... Three-quarters of Democrats (75%) consider too little testing a major factor behind new disease cases in the U.S. compared with 37% of Republicans.

[DoodleBob]

Pew may not get everything right, but they're probably one of the best polling outfits, and their visuals are very informative. Indeed, these charts tell a great deal of this story:

It's notable that Sweden's approach hinged on public trust of the 'science' and yet their 'science' was different from US 'science.'

[Buckeye McFrog]

Well “medical scientists” all seem to be aligned with their political views, so this appears to make sense.

[mosaicwolf]

I make this it clear to any doctor (Scientist) that I visit for any healthcare related issue.

Doctors make recommendations.

I make decisions about my body.

That always lets them know up front who is in charge.

[cnsmom]

If you are hospitalized and lucky enough to get discharged at some point, don’t let the clipboard scientists sign you up for every crazy study they have going..

[BlackAdderess]

Republicans have been under attack by propagandists bent on killing off deplorables.

[volunbeer]

Science in its pure form is a beautiful thing full of debate, opposing hypotheses, and a quest for truth.

“Science” as we see it now in global warming and this pandemic is a politicized farce.

The left has made a critical mistake with HCQ. They are universally opposed to it not based on “science”, but based on partisanship. There are plenty of scientists around the world that have claimed it is effective - entire nations have adopted it as the go-to treatment. Here in the US and in Western Europe it has been excoriated largely due to the fact that Trump touted it as a reason for hope.

I hope people pay attention to the real results and compare that to what the media and “scientists” told us.

How many times do they have to be wrong before people conclude that they are not trustworthy sources of news?

[RedStateRocker]

I don’t inherently trust medical scientists, but I scoff at the medical opinions of anyone without an MD at the least.

As with any other field of science; having a PhD doesn’t mean you are right, and doesn’t prevent the possibility you are full of crap; but *NOT* having a PhD means I’m going to just laugh at your opinion.

Having an advanced degree and experience in research and/or the operating room is the *MINIMUM* for someone not being an ignoramus who should STFU on subjects such as the flu and the like.

[clearcarbon]

"Trust in Medical Scientists Has Grown in U.S., but Mainly Among Democrats"

[hanamizu]

I’m not sure, but I think most “medical scientists” agree that there are only two human sexes...

[Cobra64]

After watching the snake in a lab coat, I ignore all this crap. The damage he’s done to this country is irreparable. He hoodwinked Trump and won the Art of the Deal.