Americans express substantially higher levels of trust in science compared to populations in other countries, according to results from the Wellcome Global Monitor survey conducted across 140 nations. The latest edition of the survey, administered through the Gallup World Poll, found that 52 percent of Americans reported having “a lot” of trust in science, compared to a global average of 26 percent. Additionally, 45 percent of Americans indicated they would accept vaccines recommended by medical professionals immediately, a significantly higher proportion than the 28 percent reported in Germany.
Despite these aggregate findings suggesting strong American confidence in science, the data reveals substantial internal divisions within the United States that exceed those seen in other developed nations. Analysis of the survey results identified notable gaps in attitudes toward science’s societal benefits based on religious affiliation, geographic location, and educational background. Religious and non-religious Americans differed by 24 percentage points on whether science benefits most people, compared to an average gap of just 5 points across other high-income countries. Similarly, a 19 percentage point divide separated urban and rural Americans on this question, whereas the corresponding gap in peer nations averaged only 3 points.
Educational disparities also characterized American views, with 47 percent of Americans lacking four-year degrees believing science benefits society compared to 71 percent of college graduates. Notably, some groups historically skeptical of science have shown increased appreciation over time. From 2018 to 2025, the proportion of religious Americans believing science benefits most people rose by 4 percentage points, and the corresponding figure for non-college-educated Americans increased by 3 percentage points.
Experts attribute the growing American divide not to declining trust among skeptical groups but to substantially increased enthusiasm among highly educated and secular populations. College graduates reported a 13 percentage point increase in their view that science benefits society over the seven-year period, while secular Americans registered a 15 percentage point increase. Researchers suggested that communication gaps, unequal access to healthcare infrastructure, and polarized political messaging around scientific issues contribute to the widening divisions, underscoring the need for scientists to more effectively convey science’s practical relevance to everyday life.
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