Conservative people in America appear to distrust science more broadly than previously thought. Not only do they distrust science that does not correspond to their worldview, but also, compared to liberal Americans, their trust is also lower in fields that contribute to economic growth and productivity. Short interventions aimed at strengthening trust have little effect. This is apparent from new research by social psychologists at the University of Amsterdam, which has now been published in Nature Human Behavior.
There’s “science” the process, referring to the scientific method, and “science” the object, referring to the body of findings.
I trust science(p), because there really isn’t any better way we know of to approximate truth. I don’t “trust” science(o) because the whole point of science(p) is to constantly, vigilantly scrutinize and test science(o). I do cautiously accept most science(o) in my daily life, but always with the caveat that new information may change things. I would hope most scientists would agree.