The results of Wellcome Global Monitor 2018, a massive survey on public attitudes toward science and health, were released June 19, 2019. The Wellcome Trust in the U.K. commissioned this survey from Gallup.
Among the topics investigated were understanding of (and interest in) science and health, level of trust in science and health professionals, attitudes toward science and society (with particular attention to science and religion), and views on the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. The study was unprecedented in scale, conducted in more than 140 countries and more than 140 languages through direct interviews with more than 140,000 people. While there clearly are reasons for concern and room for improvement, the results were overall encouraging.
Asked how much they personally know about science, only 43 percent of people globally said that they knew “a lot” or “some.”