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Trust in science put to the test

4 episodes

1

Why have MAGA voters lost trust in the scientific community?
2

Science under suspicion: how real is the trust crisis?
3

In the era of hyper-connectivity and ultra-segmentation, how do you actually reach people?
4

Losing faith? France's shifting relationship with scientific authority

Épisode 1/4

Why have MAGA voters lost trust in the scientific community?

On March 31st, 2026

6 min reading time

Olivier Nay

Professor of Political Science at Paris 1 University – Panthéon Sorbonne and associate professor at Columbia University

Key takeaways

The American right has historically been pro-science, but the MAGA movement has developed a growing mistrust of scientific institutions since the 2000s.
This mistrust stems from three currents: an anti-state movement hostile to regulation, an ultra-conservative evangelical right, and a populist electorate that views science as elitist intellectualism.
Universities are perceived by the MAGA camp as progressive sanctuaries, a narrative amplified by Fox News and now transmuted into concrete attacks by the federal administration.
Paradoxically, the MAGA movement is not anti-technology: it espouses a strong form of ‘techno-populism’, viewing digital technology as a tool for emancipation from the elites.
To rebuild trust, three levers have been identified: strengthening science education, involving citizens in research, and regulating social media platforms that fragment public debate.

Tunnel made of twisted newspapers headlines creating swirling effect of information media noise and variety of different information, information filtering concept

Épisode 2/4

Science under suspicion: how real is the trust crisis?

On March 24th, 2026

5 min reading time

Hugo Mercier

CNRS Research Director specialising in Cognitive Science at the Jean Nicod Institute

Ben Seyd

Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Kent

Key takeaways

The question of a crisis of trust in science can be observed in public debate, said to be drive by conspiracy theories and growing irrationality.
However, 80% of French people trust science, and one study concludes that trust in science is high on a global scale.
According to one study, the highest levels of trust in science are found in Egypt and India – France is slightly below average.
Contrary to common assumptions, in France the figures suggest a degree of stability over time in trust in science, similar to the United States – although Republicans are more inclined to distrust than Democrats.
In general, trust in science does not depend on political orientation, but adherence to certain theories may be correlated with partisan sensibilities.

Épisode 3/4

In the era of hyper-connectivity and ultra-segmentation, how do you actually reach people?

On April 7th, 2026

6 min reading time

Dominique Wolton

Sociologist specialised in Communication Science, CNRS Research Director and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Hermès

Key takeaways

Communication is a negotiation that can involve miscommunication (failure to make oneself understood), which risks leading to a breakdown in communication (a rupture in the exchange).
Communication is a prerequisite for peaceful coexistence between different individuals and groups – without it, there is indifference and war.
Thinking that communication is simply about informing is not neutral, because this mindset assumes that the receiver is necessarily passive, and therefore potentially alienated.
An illusory view of communication is to imagine that more information leads to more truth and that this justifies increasing the number communication methods to understand each other better.
The UN, like Europe, is a success story in communication, because these are states that manage to coexist and co-construct despite their differences.

Épisode 4/4

Losing faith? France's shifting relationship with scientific authority

On June 11th, 2026

4 min reading time

Emiliano Grossman

Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po Paris and Director of the Center for Socio-Political Data (CDSP)

Key takeaways

The proportion of French people who say they do not trust science hovers around 10% and has remained stable over time.
Today, whilst access to higher education now extends to the majority of the population, anti-science attitudes can be found across all educational levels.
For some within the MEDEF and the political class, this is explained by the fact that the French are ‘Gauls resistant to change’.
Mistrust of science cannot be explained solely by political populism, but the anti-elitism of our times does not spare scientists.
In late 2006, Nicolas Hulot’s ecological pact, signed by ten of the twelve candidates in the 2007 presidential election, set out ten objectives and five concrete proposals on sustainable development.

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Trust in science put to the test

Why have MAGA voters lost trust in the scientific community?

Key takeaways

Science under suspicion: how real is the trust crisis?

Key takeaways

In the era of hyper-connectivity and ultra-segmentation, how do you actually reach people?

Key takeaways

Losing faith? France's shifting relationship with scientific authority

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