GOP Fuels Decline In Confidence in Science

A new Gallup poll finds 64% of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in science, compared with 70% when Gallup last measured it more than four decades ago.

Digging deeper, there’s a big difference between the two political parties. Confidence in science among Democrats has risen from 67% in 1975 to 79% today. Among Republicans, confidence in science has fallen from 72% in 1975 to just 45% today.

Confidence in science is falling among Republicans despite the success of the coronavirus vaccines — perhaps the greatest scientific advance of our lifetimes.