Wellcome Global Monitor 2026: Trust in Science Below Pre-Pandemic Levels — 72% vs 77% in 2018, Distrust Up From 13% to 19%

Wellcome Global Monitor 2026: Trust in Science Below Pre-Pandemic Levels — 72% vs 77% in 2018, Distrust Up From 13% to 19%

Published October 2026 (launched around the World Health Summit, Berlin, Oct 11–13). The Wellcome Global Monitor 2026 — the world's largest study of public attitudes to science, with more than 140,000 adults in 140 countries — finds 72% of people trust science "some" (45%) or "a lot" (27%), down from 80% in 2020 and 77% in 2018¹. Those trusting science "not much" or "not at all" rose from 13% in 2018/2020 to 19%. Trust in scientists "a lot" went 34% (2018) → 43% (2020) → 32% (2025) — "the largest fall for any group measured." Globally, 26% trust science "a lot."

The driver Wellcome emphasizes is economic insecurity, not knowledge gaps: "People who find it difficult to get by on their present income are around half as likely to trust science 'a lot' as those living comfortably (20% compared with 39%). The largest falls in trust since 2018 have been among people who are struggling financially, widening the gap between the two groups from 13 to 19 percentage points." Trust also tracks confidence in institutions: among those confident in their country's hospitals and clinics, 43% trust science "a lot" vs 26% overall. CEO John-Arne Røttingen: "The Wellcome Global Monitor shows us we can't take that trust for granted." And: "When trust is under pressure, even well-established evidence can struggle to find its footing."

The US is the outlier — in the good direction. A heat map shows the highest trust in the US, Canada and Europe; and "While positive attitudes to science have declined globally since 2018, the United States of America has moved in the opposite direction": the share of Americans saying science benefits most people in their country rose from 48% in 2018 to 57% in 2025, and per STAT, 52% of Americans report "a lot" of trust in science — above global peers, though with large group divides. CIDRAP's expert framing (Tim Weninger, Notre Dame): "An 8pp decline in trust is meaningful, but the fact that 72% of people still express trust in science is also encouraging" — an "erosion" rather than a crisis, partly a "return from an unusually elevated period" of pandemic-era trust.