Title |
The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science
|
---|---|
Published in |
PLOS ONE, October 2013
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0075637 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Stephan Lewandowsky, Gilles E. Gignac, Klaus Oberauer |
Abstract |
Among American Conservatives, but not Liberals, trust in science has been declining since the 1970's. Climate science has become particularly polarized, with Conservatives being more likely than Liberals to reject the notion that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the globe. Conversely, opposition to genetically-modified (GM) foods and vaccinations is often ascribed to the political Left although reliable data are lacking. There are also growing indications that rejection of science is suffused by conspiracist ideation, that is the general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories including the specific beliefs that inconvenient scientific findings constitute a "hoax." |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 45 | 18% |
Australia | 22 | 9% |
United Kingdom | 16 | 6% |
Canada | 15 | 6% |
Germany | 5 | 2% |
France | 4 | 2% |
Spain | 3 | 1% |
Austria | 3 | 1% |
Belgium | 3 | 1% |
Other | 23 | 9% |
Unknown | 108 | 44% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 184 | 74% |
Scientists | 45 | 18% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 10 | 4% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 8 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 6 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
France | 1 | <1% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Germany | 1 | <1% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | <1% |
New Zealand | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 582 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 94 | 16% |
Student > Bachelor | 92 | 15% |
Researcher | 79 | 13% |
Student > Master | 73 | 12% |
Professor | 28 | 5% |
Other | 100 | 17% |
Unknown | 130 | 22% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 165 | 28% |
Social Sciences | 105 | 18% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 26 | 4% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 25 | 4% |
Environmental Science | 16 | 3% |
Other | 105 | 18% |
Unknown | 154 | 26% |