A Climate of Resistance: Tackling the challenges of public trust in scientific expertise and science-based policymaking

Science is under pressure, and with it the evidence-based policymaking we rely on to navigate society’s most complex challenges. Recent crises have shown how easily trusted expertise can be side-lined: from Boris Johnson’s administration overruling Covid guidance, to the Trump administration’s active dismissal of climate science. These moments raise a deeper question – if institutions themselves ignore expert advice, what does that mean for public trust in science?

This report investigates what’s really happening to scientific expertise and science-based policymaking. Is trust in science collapsing, or is the picture far more nuanced? And crucially, what should scientists and policymakers be doing differently? We set out recommendations for how scientists, policymakers, and media can all play a role in honestly communicating and utilising scientific findings to preserve a future for trusted and trustworthy science-based policy.

This paper is a contribution to Demos’ research and policy programme on Epistemic Security. This programme aims to secure healthy and robust information supply chains within the UK and build resilience to adverse influence on our democratic processes. In the context of democratic backsliding and rising extreme populism, we are making the case this should be a central mission of this government.