Republicans’ growing distrust in science is a danger to public health

A widening political divide shows Republicans increasingly losing faith in science, raising concerns about the public health impacts of this skepticism, especially as misinformation about vaccines and climate change spreads.

Thomas B. Edsall writes for The New York Times.

In short:

Republican distrust in science has surged from 14% in 2020 to 38% in 2023, while Democrats’ confidence has remained relatively stable.
Misinformation, amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, has fueled skepticism of vaccines, climate change, and public health measures.
Political identity, particularly within the MAGA movement, plays a crucial role in shaping these views, exacerbating the partisan gap.

Key quote:

“Americans died because they had read or heard that mRNA vaccines were more dangerous than a bout of Covid.”

— Matthew Dallek, political historian at George Washington University

Why this matters:

Science should be society’s best way of understanding the world, not a pawn in our political battles. The more we politicize it, the more we open the door for denialism to creep in, leaving us all worse off—environmentally and in terms of public health. Read more: America re-discovers anti-science in its midst.

www.nytimes.com

Republicans’ growing distrust in science is a danger to public health

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