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In a world where trust in institutions is mostly in decline, levels of\u00a0trust<\/a>\u00a0in science remain\u00a0relatively high<\/a>. Yet at the same time, belief in scientific conspiracy theories, such as hushed-up effects of vaccines or aeroplane \u201cchemtrails\u201d, is also\u00a0widespread<\/a>.<\/p>\n What explains this apparent contradiction?\u00a0Our work<\/a>\u00a0suggests we need to ask a different question \u2013 not how much people trust science, but which sources inform their understanding of what science is and how it works.<\/p>\n In our\u00a0recent study of 843 US residents<\/a>, we found that people who picture scientific progress as the work of lone geniuses, and who learn about science mainly from podcasts and documentaries, are markedly more drawn to conspiracy theories \u2013 whatever their level of education.<\/p>\n This fits the bigger picture very well. In a 16-country\u00a0survey<\/a>, 70% of respondents believed at least one false or unproven health claim.\u00a0High trust in science<\/a>\u00a0and widespread\u00a0conspiracy beliefs<\/a>\u00a0appear to\u00a0coexist<\/a>\u00a0in the same populations.<\/p>\n We fear that trust in science is compatible with believing almost anything, so long as it is expressed in plausibly scientific terms. This can lead to some people\u00a0refusing vaccines<\/a>, trusting\u00a0miracle cures<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0dismissing climate warnings<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 all while remaining convinced that science is on their side.<\/p>\n At school, science is almost always presented as a linear sequence of achievements, or in the form of impersonal theories. The human side of discovery is largely stripped out.<\/p>\n In contrast, most science-focused films and documentaries build their narratives around biographies of exceptional individuals.<\/p>\n These often yield a familiar plot. Society is facing an intractable problem. A genius arrives with the exact solution \u2013 but is ignored and mocked until, after much personal pain, everyone realises he (for it is invariably a man) was right all along.<\/p>\n From the martyrdom of\u00a0Giordano Bruno<\/a>, the Renaissance friar burned at the stake partly for defending an infinite universe, to\u00a0A Beautiful Mind<\/a>, the Oscar-winning portrait of the mathematician John Nash, this lone-genius arc has permeated popular depictions of science for centuries.The \u2018lone genius\u2019 trope<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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