(For LSU’s 2022 Bateman team)
PEW Research Center survey examines Americans’ trust in medical practitioners versus scientific researchers
In “Trust and Mistrust in Americans’ Views of Scientific Experts,” authors Cary Funk, Meg Hefferon, Brian Kennedy and Courtney Johnson conducted a survey to gauge Americans’ trust in medical practitioners versus scientific researchers. PEW Research Center published this study on Aug. 2, 2019.
The survey of 4,646 adults was conducted using PEW Research Center’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel of randomly selected American adults. Respondents were asked to rate six medical specialties based on their confidence that each specialty would act with competence, present their recommendations or research findings accurately and care about individuals’ best interests. Respondents were also asked about potential sources of mistrust, including transparency and accountability for mistakes or misconduct.
The results suggested that the public generally has more confidence in medical practitioners than scientific researchers. For example, 60% of respondents believe dietitians care about the best interests of their patients all or most of the time, while only 29% believe the same about nutrition scientists. Similarly, 48% of respondents say that medical doctors provide fair and accurate treatment information all or most of the time, while only 32% say the same about medical researchers and their findings. The survey also suggests that familiarity with scientific groups and greater factual knowledge about science correlates with higher levels of trust.
This study has important implications for the Lymphoma Research Foundation campaign. Understanding people’s level of trust with medical information sources is paramount because this campaign spreads medical information about lymphoma. This survey can aid the LRF campaign in choosing sources and partnerships that the target audience finds trustworthy.
Rebecca C. Herin 