ISTPP Research – Listening to the experts
Listening to the experts: How trust in scientists shapes environmental hazards health risk perceptions
A new study published in Journal of Risk Research sheds a light on the role of trust in expert scientists in public evaluations of health risks from exposure to environmental hazards. The study by ISTPP researchers Rotem Dvir and Xinsheng Liu uses national survey data to explore how trust in scientists to provide unbiased and useful information shapes individuals’ environmental risk perceptions.
The researchers argue that while trust in government institutions or trust in other members of society are common factors in the analysis of risk perceptions, the level of trust in expert scientists to provide unbiased information and relevant policy recommendations is under-explored. They posit that this factor is essential as most people lack the required knowledge on the risks of pollution-type hazards. As such, trust in scientists serve as important cue and helps people form clearer evaluations of the health risks associated with such hazards. The empirical analysis demonstrates that trust in experts is a powerful explanatory factor of individuals’ assessments of the health risks from potential exposure to pollution-type hazards. Based on these results, the authors suggest that increasing public trust in scientists can improve people’s understanding and awareness of the possible health ramifications from a set of environmental hazards that are relatively less common and could result from human intervention.
Study link: https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2026.2722625
