Without good science communication, there can be no trust
As a psychiatrist, Mazda Adli is particularly aware of reservations about his field of research and therefore considered communication formats early on to establish contact with a non-academic audience, including popular science formats: “Sharing and disclosing our methodology strengthens trust in research. Conversely, it helps me as a scientist to understand the important questions that concern people.”
There is little room in the media for lengthy explanations
The panelists reported on a fundamental challenge: many people do not know how science works. Science does not provide a single clear answer, even though this was demanded during the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, many people experienced the scientific process for the first time: data first had to be collected, there were different approaches, and results were repeatedly questioned. “This peculiarity of science does not fit in with the system of journalism, which needs clicks and subscriptions and therefore tends to churn out quick opinions rather than publish long texts. That is one of the challenges we face,” said Sascha Karberg.
The responsibility of politics
The role of politics was brought into the discussion by a participant from the audience: “If politicians fail to take scientific findings into account and do not translate them into legislation, they share responsibility for people's lack of trust in science.”
“Trust in science is also lost when science is exploited by politics,” added Anne-Sophie Behm-Bahtat. “Science is then no longer seen as independent. It's also about which institutions can be trusted.”
What can we do?
When asked by moderator Mads Pankow what the most important thing was for strengthening trust in science, Mazda Adli replied emphatically: “Society's participation! We have to explain why what we do is important and relevant for everyone.”
“Let actions follow words,” said Anne-Sophie Behm-Bahtat. “We know what problems the science system has, and it's time to change something.”
Sascha Karberg concluded by emphasizing the urgency of the issue: “Science is the only tool we have to make the ‘right’ decisions. This is not about belief, but about knowledge—that's why so much is at stake when people lose trust in science.”
We would like to thank everyone involved!