What Motivates People to Question Science?

From the safety of eating genetically modified organisms to whether mask-wearing reduces the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, battle lines are drawn around scientific issues once resolved outside of politics. Positions reflect less about familiarity with the scientific topic than they do about core beliefs and worldviews, leading to what psychologists call a motivated view of science. In Chapter 6, “What Motivates People to Question Science?,” the authors explain that even when individuals attempt to be rational and make decisions justified with evidence, motivations can bias their reasoning. Forming one’s views on science through the prism of social groups is also problematic. The notion that junk science is whatever is inconsistent with your social group’s preferences reinforces a negative perception that science, as a whole, is untrustworthy. The authors explain that when individuals crowdsource their views on science by polling their social group, rather than evaluating science claims on their own merit, they do not always make scientifically sound decisions. The chapter provides suggestions for what individuals can do to avoid motivated views of science and what science communicators can do to convey science to a skeptical audience.