The rational impression account of trust in science

Trust in science plays a crucial role in addressing major societal challenges, from climate change to global health. In a wide range of countries, most people tend to trust science. However this trust might seem irrational, since people tend to know little about science. Here, we argue that people need not possess much knowledge or understanding of science to rationally trust it. We propose a cognitive model of trust in science—the rational impression account—according to which people come to trust science by relying on a suite of basic cognitive mechanisms: First, people infer competence from possessing rare knowledge; Second, people infer accuracy from consensus; Third, people’s impressions can persist after they forget what generated them. The rational impression account stresses the importance of science education and communication in fostering public trust in science.