Is the Effect of Educational Attainments on Trust in Scientists Underestimated?

Abstract

This research aims to assess and quantify the impact of educational attainments on trust in scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilizes instrumental variables (IV) and conventional ordinary least squares regression (OLS) approaches that are applied to micro-data from a multinational survey in 26 nations. The IV approach is used to address endogeneity that is caused by reverse causality, omitted variables, and measurement error. The results of IV models suggest that a unit increase in educational attainments leads to an increase in trust in scientists by a factor of 0.20 to 0.28. In comparison, the results of the conventional OLS suggest that a unit increase in educational attainments leads to an increase in trust in scientists by a factor of 0.09 to 0.16. The results suggest that ignoring endogeneity leads to a considerable underestimation of education’s effect on trust in scientists. At the same time, the results indicate that educational training is a key tool to promote science by increasing trust in scientists. Such a conclusion is especially important given that the results are based on the survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period characterized by unprecedented public health and economic crises, political backslash, and an “infodemic” of disinformation and misinformation.