London, United Kingdom · 19 June 2019 — The Wellcome Global Monitor 2018, the first large-scale international study of public attitudes toward science and health, was published by the Wellcome Trust in June 2019. Based on nationally representative surveys of over 140,000 people aged 15 and older across more than 140 countries, the report provides the most comprehensive global picture ever assembled of how people think and feel about science, scientists, and health.
Conducted in partnership with Gallup as an add-on to the annual Gallup World Poll, data collection took place throughout 2018, with analysis occurring from January to May 2019. The study covers topics including trust in science and scientists, levels of understanding and interest in science, the perceived benefits of science, the compatibility of religion and science, and attitudes to vaccines.
Trust in Scientists: A Global Picture
The survey found that globally, 72% of people express trust in scientists. However, this headline figure masks significant variation. Only 18% of people worldwide have a 'high' level of trust in scientists, while 54% have a 'medium' level, 14% have 'low' trust, and 13% said they did not know.
The strongest factors positively related to trust in scientists are learning science at school or college and confidence in key national institutions such as the government, the military, and the judiciary. Other significant factors include living in a rural location, the extent to which people feel it is difficult to get by on their income, higher levels of income inequality in a country, and lack of access to mobile phones and the internet.
Doctors and nurses emerged as the most trusted sources of health advice globally, with 73% of people worldwide saying they would trust a doctor or nurse more than other sources of health advice, including family, friends, religious leaders, or famous people. This figure ranges from a low of 65% in East Asia and the Middle East to a high of about 90% in parts of Europe, Northern America, and Australia and New Zealand.
The Gender Knowledge Gap
One of the most striking findings is a persistent gender gap in self-reported science knowledge. Men are more likely to claim they know 'some' or 'a lot' about science (49%) compared to women (38%), a gap that persists even when men and women report equal levels of educational attainment.
The gap is largest in Northern Europe, standing at a 17-percentage-point difference, and smallest in the Middle East, with a 3-percentage-point difference. Young people also report greater science knowledge than older people: 53% of those aged 15–29 say they know 'some' or 'a lot' about science, compared to 40% of those aged 30–49 and 34% of those aged 50 and older.
Almost two-thirds of people worldwide (62%) say they are interested in learning more about science, particularly people living in low-income countries (72%). However, the basic concepts of 'science' and 'scientists' are not universally understood. In Central Africa, 32% said they understood none of the definitions presented to them, while in Northern America and most of Europe this figure drops as low as 2%.
Vaccine Confidence: A Warning Signal
The report's findings on vaccine confidence have proven particularly prescient. Globally, 79% of people 'somewhat' or 'strongly agree' that vaccines are safe, and 84% agree they are effective. However, in several high-income regions, confidence is notably lower.
| Region | % Agreeing Vaccines Are Safe |
|---|---|
| South Asia | 95% |
| Eastern Africa | 92% |
| Northern America | 72% |
| Northern Europe | 73% |
| Western Europe | 59% |
| Eastern Europe | 50% |
In France, one in three people disagree that vaccines are safe — the highest percentage for any country worldwide. Rwanda and Bangladesh were noted for having particularly high levels of vaccine confidence.
The finding that vaccine confidence is lower in several high-income countries than in low-income countries challenges the assumption that greater scientific literacy automatically translates into greater acceptance of scientific interventions. The relationship between trust in scientists and vaccine attitudes is strongest in high-income countries, suggesting that in these contexts, broader trust in scientific institutions plays a more decisive role in vaccine acceptance.
Science and Society: The Benefit Gap
The survey revealed a notable disconnect between personal and societal perceptions of science's benefits. Worldwide, about seven in ten people feel that science benefits them personally, but only around four in ten think it benefits most people in their country.
In high-income countries, people who say they are 'finding it difficult' to get by on their present income are about three times as likely as people who are 'living comfortably' to be sceptical about whether science benefits society as a whole or them personally. This finding suggests that economic insecurity is a significant driver of science scepticism, independent of educational attainment.
South America has the highest proportion of people who believe that science neither benefits them personally nor society as a whole, about a quarter of people. About a third of people in North and Southern Africa, and Central and South America feel excluded from the benefits of science.
Religion and Science
Among people with a religious affiliation, 55% would agree with their religious teachings in a disagreement between science and their religion, 29% would agree with science, and 13% say it depends on the issue. The highest percentages of people who say science has disagreed with their religious teachings are in the US and Southern Europe (59%).
Globally, 64% of people who have a religious affiliation and who say religion is an important part of their daily life report that when there is a disagreement, they believe religion over science.
Methodological Rigour
The Wellcome Global Monitor was conducted as an add-on to the Gallup World Poll, which uses probability-based sampling and face-to-face and telephone interviews in over 140 countries. The sample design ensures nationally representative coverage of the population aged 15 and older in each country. Data was weighted to be nationally representative using population statistics from the UN World Population Prospects.
Implications for Science Communication
The report's findings have profound implications for science communication and public engagement strategies. The strong relationship between learning science at school and trust in scientists underscores the importance of science education as a long-term investment in public trust. The finding that economic insecurity drives science scepticism suggests that communication strategies must address perceived inequities in the distribution of science's benefits, not merely provide more information.
The gender gap in self-reported knowledge points to the need for targeted interventions that build confidence as well as competence, particularly in educational settings where social conditioning may discourage women from identifying as scientifically knowledgeable.
For African countries specifically, the high levels of interest in science (72% in low-income countries) and the relatively high vaccine confidence in Eastern Africa (92%) provide a strong foundation for public health and science engagement programmes. However, the 32% of Central Africans who do not understand the basic concepts of 'science' and 'scientists' highlights the need for foundational science literacy programmes.
Sources
- Wellcome Trust, "Summary of Key Findings, Wellcome Global Monitor 2018,"
- Wellcome Trust, "Chapter 1: Introduction, Wellcome Global Monitor 2018,"
- Wellcome Trust, "Wellcome Global Monitor 2018 Overview PDF,"
- UK Data Service, "Wellcome Global Monitor 2018," Study 8466,
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Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
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