War on science

Research on climate change or on endangered species or on the safety of certain energy strategies is seen as bolstering an argument for regulation – so science is associated with imposing rules on businesses. This is one of the conclusions of a study by Gordon Gauchat: just over 34 percent of conservatives had confidence in science as an institution in 2010, representing a long-term decline from 48 percent in 1974, according to his paper being published today in American Sociological Review. This is not a good sign for those of us who like evidence-based decision making. And it is a an extra challenge for communicators.