People with more extreme attitudes towards science have self-confidence in their understanding of science, even if this is not justified

• Published in: PLoS biology Vol. 21; no. 1; p. e3001915
• Main Authors: Fonseca, Cristina, Pettitt, Jonathan, Woollard, Alison, Rutherford, Adam, Bickmore, Wendy, Ferguson-Smith, Anne, Hurst, Laurence D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 24.01.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Attitude; Attitude (Psychology); Attitudes; Biology and Life Sciences; Educational attainment; Engineering and Technology; Ethical aspects; Genetic engineering; Genetic modification; Genetics; Humans; Knowledge; Medicine and Health Sciences; Rejection; Science; Sciences education; Social Sciences; Specifications; Surveys and Questionnaires; Technology; Trends; United Kingdom; Vaccines; United Kingdom

People differ greatly in their attitudes towards well-evidenced science. What characterises this variation? Here, we consider this issue in the context of genetics and allied sciences. While most prior research has focused on the relationship between attitude to science and what people know about it...