Public trust in science

Trust in science was measured by the Rathenau Instituut in four surveys (2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2025) conducted among a representative sample of the Dutch public. Respondents were asked to indicate on a scale of 1 (absolutely no trust) to 10 (complete trust) how much trust they have in a number of institutions. 

Of all the institutions examined, science scores highest for trust: a 7.5 in 2021. Courts of law comes in second with a 6.6. Newspapers and trade unions score a 5.7, while parliament and television both score a 4.8. Large companies score a 4.4, and the government a 4.3.

The high trust in science is not only apparent from the graph above. When we ask about the associations people have with science, they are almost all positive or neutral. Various aspects of science also garners a lot of trust. More than 70% of people in the Netherlands have trust in science as an institute that produces knowledge, in the scientific method, in scientists, and in the conclusions they draw based on scientific research.

However, a minority of people trust others when it comes to scientific insights. Only 19% of people trust conclusions that non-scientists, such as journalists, draw based on scientific research. Even fewer people, 10%, trust how politicians use scientific insights for policy. 

We also see that confidence has increased in other surveys. The figure below shows the percentage of Dutch people who give a 6 or higher for their confidence in science, since 2007. It also shows that confidence in science has increased between 2018 and 2020/2021 and has subsequently remained very stable. The percentage that gave a 6 or higher varied between 82% and 87% and increased to 90% in 2020. Since 2020, the trust in science has steadily declined, reaching 86% in 2022 and emaining at that level since.

The average trust in science rose slightly from 7.42 in 2021 to 7.53 in 2025. However, the underlying distribution changed in that period. The percentage of people with low trust in science, i.e. that gave a 5 or lower, rose from 9.5% in 2021 to 14.6% in 2025. At the same time, the share of people giving their trust in science very high grades (9 or 10) increased too, from 20.6% to 34.6%. The share of people that gave a grade between 6 and 8 decreased, from 69,9% to 51,3%. 

The research shows that trust in science is related to the level of education. More highly educated persons have more trust in science than people with a lower educational level. People who come into contact with science more often, for example by reading about it, have, on average, more confidence in science. And people with more knowledge of science also have, on average, more trust in science.

Trust in science is also related to political preference. People that consider themselves politically left-wing and progressive rated their trust in science on average with an 8.3. For people who see themselves as right-wing and conservative this was on average a 6.9. Similar patterns can be seen in the relation with party affiliation. People that voted for Volt, GroenLinks-PvdA, D66, Partij voor de Dieren, and VVD in the last national elections in 2023 gave their trust in science on average higher than an 8.0. People that voted BBB, PVV, SGP, or Forum voor Democratie gave their trust in science on average less than a 7.0. FvD-voters gave the lowest average rating to their trust in science: a 4.5. This connection with party affiliation was also observed in relation to trust in other institutions. This indicates that a low score on trust in science probably relates to people's general attitude towards institutions, not just in science.
 

In 2025 we also asked people how much they trust science that's concerned with particular topics or themes. In the results we see big differences between the trust level in these different research areas. A lot of people trust healthcare and vaccine research. A small majority of people trusts climate change science. A minority of people, between 40 to 45%, trusts research that's aimed at GMO's, AI or discrimination and inequality.