How do non-scientists know when to trust science? How do we evaluate those in our midst who distrust science? To answer questions like these we need to learn more about the origins of mistrust.
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to show that significant portions of the American public are distrustful of science. But this idea just doesn’t fit the current survey data about trust in science and scientists.
As a result of the way science, and specifically medical science, have been used against people of color, there is a deep mistrust of science in African and Latinx cultures. Sometimes known as the “Tuskeegee effect,” this article describes why many African Americans are wary of the medical establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic.