Worrying signs seen in global survey of attitudes to science

People around the world trust researchers but often feel that research itself does not benefit them, a huge global survey on attitudes to science has found.

A team from polling firm Gallup were commissioned by the Wellcome Trust charity to interview more than 140,000 people in over 140 countries about their attitudes to science and the people who shape it. Wellcome says it is the first such survey to have been conducted across a diverse group of countries.

It found that 72 per cent of people have either a high or medium level of trust in scientists and that 14 per cent have a low level of trust.