Who supports science-related populism? A nationally representative survey on the prevalence and explanatory factors of populist attitudes toward science in Switzerland

PLoS One. 2022 Aug 8;17(8):e0271204. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271204. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Science and its epistemology have been challenged by science-related populism-a variant of populism suggesting that a virtuous "ordinary people," and not allegedly corrupt academic elites, should determine the "production of truth." Yet almost no studies have assessed the prevalence of science-related populist attitudes among the population and explanatory factors thereof. Based on a nationally representative survey in Switzerland, our study shows that only a minority of the Swiss exhibit science-related populist attitudes. Comparisons with reference studies suggest that these attitudes may be less prevalent in Switzerland than political populist attitudes. Those who hold stronger science-related populist attitudes tend to have no university education, less personal contact with science, lower scientific literacy, and higher interest in science. Additional analyses show that left-leaning citizens are less likely to hold science-related populist attitudes than moderate and right-leaning citizens. Our findings contribute to current debates about a potential fragmentation of science communication audiences and call for further research on the sociodemographic and attitudinal profiles of people with skeptical orientations toward science.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Attitude*
  • Humans
  • Politics
  • Science*
  • Switzerland

Grants and funding

This research received financial support by the Gebert Rüf Foundation (https://www.grstiftung.ch/en.html), the Mercator Foundation Switzerland (https://www.stiftung-mercator.ch/), and the University of Zurich (https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en.html). Funding was acquired by J.M. and M.S.S. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.