A General Public’s Perspective: Factors that Constrain Individual Trust in Science

Abstract This chapter explores factors that may constrain individual trust in science examined across a general, non-expert, public from a set of European contexts. The work is grounded in a rich qualitative dataset comprised of eight focus groups and one individual interview, conducted in Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland and France in the context of the VERITY project. The data were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis, and themes were identified and compared in iterative cycles. The chapter focuses on three themes that were identified in the data: (1) individual factors , including affect, competencies, as well as motivational and cognitive attributes; (2) socio-cultural factors , including social norms, social influence and the role that conflicts across different contexts play in hindering individual trust; (3) environmental factors , including the country-level educational system and online information environments. The findings suggest how different mechanisms can shape individual trust in scientists and science, as an institution.