How Communication of Scientific Uncertainty Affects Trust in Science—A Systematic Review

Trust in science provides a foundation to address societal challenges in democracies, such as climate change, global health crises, or armed conflicts. The communication of scientific uncertainties in professional science communication can impact these trust relationships, a factor that has become increasingly relevant with the exponential growth in scientific output and the accelerating pace of innovation as well as with the spread of disinformation on social media and the need to manage related societal consequences. This systematic review evaluates the available scientific evidence on how external communication of scientific uncertainty affects trust in science. To identify general trends in this conceptually diverse field, we employed broad and inclusive variable definitions and search strings to screen literature from four relevant international databases. We identified and synthesized 24 articles as the core body of evidence and highlighted factors that influence trust, offering recommendations for science communication practice. Our findings suggest that communicating scientific uncertainties generally has a positive impact on trust in science, whereas downplaying uncertainty may foster distrust. However, communicating uncertainties also carries inherent risks, and understanding the audience is critical. When audiences feel personally affected, or when science communication addresses sensitive political issues, interest groups may exploit scientific uncertainty to undermine trust in science for political purposes. In such cases, communicating uncertainty requires particular care both during and after the initial communication process. Science communicators should closely monitor public reception and discussions, especially in digital media environments, to swiftly counteract misinterpretations and misinformation.