Does science have a trust problem?

How much do people around the world trust in science? How has that trust changed since 2018?

In the first episode of our special mini-series on trust in science, Alisha Wainwright is joined by social researcher Dr Cary Funk and Dr Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, to explore new findings from the Wellcome Global Monitor 2026, the world's largest study on how people think and feel about science.

Together, they go beyond the headline figures to look at how levels of trust in science have changed over time, where it varies between regions, and why earning trust is essential if we want science to improve health for everyone.

Listen until the end for a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to collect and analyse responses from over 140,000 people across 140 countries.

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Mentioned in this episode & further resources:

• The Wellcome Global Monitor – To access the key findings from the report, the full publication, an interactive data dashboard, and access to the data set, go to: wellcome.org/podcast/globalmonitor

• Earning public trust in science – To learn more about the work that Wellcome is doing on trust, go to: wellcome.org/engagement-and-advocacy/engaging-people/trust-in-science

• Ipsos - https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk

• Gallup World Poll - https://www.gallup.com/home.aspx