A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science
Existing survey instruments of trust in science and scientists that focus on the general public are potentially insufficient to assess climate skeptics’ perspectives towards climate science. They may miss important aspects of climate science about which skeptics raise concerns, and may not accuratel...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/9/2/18 |
| _version_ | 1797409290836770816 |
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| author | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner |
| author_facet | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner |
| author_sort | Dilshani Sarathchandra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Existing survey instruments of trust in science and scientists that focus on the general public are potentially insufficient to assess climate skeptics’ perspectives towards climate science. They may miss important aspects of climate science about which skeptics raise concerns, and may not accurately measure climate skeptics’ distrust in climatology. We introduce a new survey instrument developed using data gathered from interviewing 33 self-identified climate change skeptics in Idaho. The survey items capture skeptics’ beliefs regarding climate scientists’ trustworthiness and credibility, their deference to scientific authority, and their perceptions of alienation from the climate science community. We validate our survey instrument using data from an online survey administered to 1000 residents in the U.S. Pacific Northwest who are skeptical of climate change. By employing standard survey design principles, we demonstrate how our new <i>(dis)trust in climate science</i> instrument performs in tandem with well-known predictors of science attitudes and pro-environmentalism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:12:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-df79c5900ffb40f3aad2e89ad798d254 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2225-1154 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:12:04Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-df79c5900ffb40f3aad2e89ad798d2542023-12-03T13:59:02ZengMDPI AGClimate2225-11542021-01-01921810.3390/cli9020018A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate ScienceDilshani Sarathchandra0Kristin Haltinner1Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USADepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USAExisting survey instruments of trust in science and scientists that focus on the general public are potentially insufficient to assess climate skeptics’ perspectives towards climate science. They may miss important aspects of climate science about which skeptics raise concerns, and may not accurately measure climate skeptics’ distrust in climatology. We introduce a new survey instrument developed using data gathered from interviewing 33 self-identified climate change skeptics in Idaho. The survey items capture skeptics’ beliefs regarding climate scientists’ trustworthiness and credibility, their deference to scientific authority, and their perceptions of alienation from the climate science community. We validate our survey instrument using data from an online survey administered to 1000 residents in the U.S. Pacific Northwest who are skeptical of climate change. By employing standard survey design principles, we demonstrate how our new <i>(dis)trust in climate science</i> instrument performs in tandem with well-known predictors of science attitudes and pro-environmentalism.https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/9/2/18trusttrust in sciencesurveymeasurementclimate skepticism |
| spellingShingle | Dilshani Sarathchandra Kristin Haltinner A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science Climate trust trust in science survey measurement climate skepticism |
| title | A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science |
| title_full | A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science |
| title_fullStr | A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science |
| title_short | A Survey Instrument to Measure Skeptics’ (Dis)Trust in Climate Science |
| title_sort | survey instrument to measure skeptics dis trust in climate science |
| topic | trust trust in science survey measurement climate skepticism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/9/2/18 |
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