Political Consequences of Polarized Trust in Science

• In Event: Foundations of Affective Polarization

Abstract

Twenty-first century American politics has been defined by the polarization of trust in science and skyrocketing levels of affective polarization. We argue that these two trends are linked. Specifically, as partisans perceive greater distance between their own trust in science and that of the other party, their animus toward the other party grows. We demonstrate this relationship with secondary probability sample surveys, a new nationally representative survey, and an experiment. All these data show that polarized science contributes to affective polarization. Not only does hostility toward the other party have a substantive basis in contrasting epistemologies but polarized trust in science also has downstream effects on additional political outcomes including politicizing policy and undermining political compromise. Just as politics shape science, so does science affect politics, in potentially perilous ways.

Authors

• James N. Druckman, University of Rochester

• Jonathan Schulman, University of Pennsylvania