(The Center Square) – The share of Georgia residents who have some or a lot of trust in coronavirus researchers and scientists was 91.1 percent, according to a new study by a consortium of four universities, including Northwestern.
In contrast, 3.5 percent of the state’s residents said their level of trust in COVID-19 researchers and scientists was “Not at all,” and 5.4 percent of state residents responded “Not too much” to how much trust they placed in experts.
Why it Matters: There is a perception on social media based on the loudest voices that Georgians are overwhelmingly distrustful of science as it relates to COVID-19. This study shows that an overwhelming majority of Georgians trust academic and scientific institutions more than political institutions.
Although the overall trust Americans have in their political leaders and institutions to handle the pandemic has dropped in recent months, confidence in medical professionals and researchers exceeded 90 percent in May, the study found. This is less than 2 percentage points below the confidence level expressed a month earlier.
In contrast, Americans’ trust in all their institutions’ ability to respond to the coronavirus situation has dropped 8 percent since April, the analysis found.
Survey Responses: Trust in COVID-19 Scientists, Researchers
State Not at All Not Too Much Some A Lot Error Margin Number of Respondents Alabama 4.2% 8.3% 39.7% 47.9% 7.1 352 Alaska 1.7% 8.4% 34.2% 55.7% 11.9 106 Arizona 1.4% 8.0% 37.4% 53.3% 5.5 478 Arkansas 3.1% 10.6% 43.9% 42.4% 7.2 294 California 1.4% 9.1% 31.8% 57.7% 4.1 875 Colorado 1.3% 8.8% 36.5% 53.3% 5.7 389 Connecticut 1.5% 6.8% 33.4% 58.4% 8.3 239 Delaware 2.9% 5.6% 34.8% 56.8% 7.4 260 District of Columbia 0.8% 7.8% 31.6% 59.8% 12.2 121 Florida 1.7% 7.7% 34.8% 55.9% 4.8 604 Georgia 3.5% 5.4% 42.7% 48.4% 5.7 429 Hawaii 0.5% 9.5% 34.6% 55.4% 7.7 272 Idaho 4.1% 6.5% 40.0% 49.4% 6.1 368 Illinois 2.4% 6.8% 34.9% 55.9% 4.6 515 Indiana 2.2% 7.6% 36.5% 53.8% 6.0 376 Iowa 1.6% 4.4% 36.8% 57.2% 7.4 243 Kansas 2.9% 8.4% 35.9% 52.8% 7.8 236 Kentucky 1.7% 7.1% 42.4% 48.9% 6.7 331 Louisiana 2.8% 7.5% 42.1% 47.6% 6.5 362 Maine 2.6% 6.8% 34.1% 56.5% 5.8 368 Maryland 1.6% 7.0% 29.6% 61.8% 5.8 396 Massachusetts 1.3% 3.2% 30.3% 65.2% 5.2 435 Michigan 0.4% 6.9% 39.0% 53.6% 5.2 480 Minnesota 2.0% 6.6% 33.2% 58.2% 6.5 334 Mississippi 4.3% 6.6% 37.5% 51.6% 9.2 229 Missouri 2.1% 10.2% 37.4% 50.2% 5.6 446 Montana 0.0% 7.6% 36.3% 56.1% 11.4 130 Nebraska 2.2% 5.6% 43.4% 48.8% 9.9 159 Nevada 1.2% 5.5% 37.5% 55.7% 7.6 280 New Hampshire 2.9% 4.4% 33.8% 58.9% 5.9 350 New Jersey 0.6% 5.9% 40.0% 53.6% 4.8 526 New Mexico 0.2% 8.1% 35.1% 56.5% 10.9 162 New York 1.1% 6.1% 33.9% 58.9% 4.5 619 North Carolina 2.5% 9.1% 38.1% 50.4% 5.2 511 North Dakota 2.2% 6.9% 33.3% 57.6% 9.1 211 Ohio 4.8% 5.3% 37.7% 52.3% 5.1 476 Oklahoma 2.3% 12.2% 33.2% 52.3% 7.3 287 Oregon 1.4% 5.1% 34.8% 58.7% 5.4 409 Pennsylvania 2.2% 5.0% 36.8% 56.0% 4.6 543 Rhode Island 0.9% 11.1% 34.3% 53.7% 9.1 178 South Carolina 3.8% 7.5% 45.2% 43.5% 6.3 345 South Dakota 1.6% 7.5% 43.5% 47.4% 8.8 179 Tennessee 3.6% 8.1% 37.9% 50.4% 5.8 387 Texas 1.7% 4.4% 43.2% 50.7% 4.8 613 Utah 0.8% 7.9% 38.1% 53.3% 8.1 274 Vermont 1.8% 3.9% 33.4% 60.9% 8.8 162 Virginia 4.5% 6.5% 33.5% 55.5% 5.1 453 Washington 1.8% 5.9% 34.7% 57.6% 5.0 493 West Virginia 1.6% 6.2% 45.1% 47.0% 8.8 195 Wisconsin 2.0% 7.3% 35.6% 55.1% 5.5 419 Wyoming 5.0% 9.5% 32.6% 52.9% 11.1 108
Source: Northwestern Institute for Policy Research
