Is Science for the Rich and Powerful? Investigating the Relation Between Income and Trust in Science Across 145 Countries

Abstract

Abstract Prior research indicates that income relates to trust in science. However, no prior studies exclusively focus on this relationship, leaving questions on the characteristics and universality of the relationship unanswered. This study enriches our understanding of the relationship between individual-level income and trust in science on 3 fronts. First, this study explicates income into the dimensions of relative income (objective economic status) and subjective income (perceived economic hardship and satisfaction). Second, it provides a global overview by assessing the aforementioned relationship across 145 countries, investigating whether the relationship is universal or contingent on country-level characteristics. Third, the study investigates moderators at country and individual-level. Results indicate that subjective income is more strongly related to trust in science than relative income and that it is strongest in previously studied populations. The relationship is moderated by institutional quality (which increases the relationship) and economic climate (GDP per capita increasing the relationship) at the country-level, and science efficacy (increasing the relationship) and trust in government (decreasing the relationship) at the individual-level.