Global Trust in Science Declines Since 2020
The 2026 Wellcome Global Monitor reports a drop in public confidence as science fails to address urgent local economic problems.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Environmental
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The Wellcome Global Monitor 2026 reports that worldwide public trust in science has declined to 72 percent as of 2025, down from a peak of 80 percent in 2020. This survey of 140,000 adults across 140 countries highlights a shifting relationship between scientific institutions and the public.
Why it matters
The decline in trust is most pronounced among populations facing financial hardship, suggesting that public confidence in science is tied to whether research demonstrably improves local economic conditions. This trend threatens the efficacy of public health and climate initiatives that rely on widespread societal cooperation.
The Wellcome Global Monitor assessed trust levels across 108 comparable countries since 2018. While global trust sits at 72 percent, local figures vary widely; for example, trust in Chile dropped from 81 percent in 2020 to 63 percent in 2025.
The players
Wellcome
A London-based global charitable foundation that funds research to improve human health and monitors worldwide sentiment toward scientific institutions.
The details
The report identifies a strong correlation between trust levels and individual economic stability, indicating that public confidence fluctuates based on the perceived utility of science in solving local, everyday problems. When communities do not see science effectively addressing their immediate financial or material challenges, support for scientific consensus appears to erode. The analysis accounts for cross-national differences by tracking identical metrics across 108 nations since 2018.
Timeline
2018: First year the Wellcome Global Monitor conducted the survey.
2020: Global trust in science reached an 80 percent peak.
2025: The most recent survey of 140,000 adults was conducted.
The Tech Race
This decline follows the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which previously served as a catalyst for elevated public engagement and trust in scientific outputs. The current data signals a reversal of that trend as the global community moves past the pandemic-era reliance on institutional research.
The survey indicates that scientific institutions may face increasing difficulty implementing policy changes that require broad public participation. For readers in affected regions, this reflects a widening disconnect between academic findings and the immediate priorities of local economies.
The takeaway
The data confirms a widespread cooling of public support for science as institutional outcomes increasingly fail to align with the financial realities of global communities. Observers should track subsequent studies for potential correlations between economic relief programs and a stabilization of these sentiment metrics.
Further reading
For broader trends on how global issues shape institutional support, see Environmental.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Scientist.
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