A global survey led by biomedical funder Wellcome finds that public trust in science and researchers has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis, published in October 2026, is the largest of its kind and compares responses from Wellcome’s surveys in 2018, 2020 and 2025. It examines views on science and health, including vaccines, pandemic preparedness and clean energy, and asks about artificial intelligence for the first time. The overall trend is not uniform: trust rose only in Europe between 2018 and 2025, while the picture across other regions varied. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22% of respondents said they had no trust at all in science in 2025.
The findings link confidence in science to people’s everyday circumstances, not just their views of scientific effectiveness. Respondents who felt economically comfortable reported more trust than those struggling to get by; researchers interviewed argue that insecurity can make science and scientists feel distant, even when people believe science can solve problems. Trust was also higher where people had confidence in hospitals and clinics and felt they could obtain health care when needed. The analysis therefore suggests that maintaining public confidence depends partly on making science credible, relevant and beneficial in people’s lives, and on addressing the wider conditions that shape how connected they feel to scientific institutions.
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