PPBS

Antiscientific Attitudes [2016]

A Politico-Psychological Analysis

Report generated

June 15, 2026

1 Study Characteristics

1.1 Items: Antiscientific Attitudes

1.2 Sample

N=1500

To conduct a exploratory and a confirmatory large surveys during the general election, we hired a professional survey firm (SSI, a US-based market research company that recruits participants from a panel of 7,139,027 American citizens; more information can be found at www.surveysampling.com (now https://www.dynata.com/) to recruit a nationally representative sample of 1,500 Americans (50.7% women) who completed study materials during the general election from August 16-September 9, 2016. (Information about sampling and exclusion criteria is included in the Supplement). The age distribution was as follows: 18-24 (12.9%), 25-34 (17.6%), 35-44 (17.5%), 45-54 (19.5%), 55-65 (15.6%) and older than 65 (16.9%). The ethnic breakdown was: White/European American (82.5%), Black/African American (7.7%), Latino (5.9%) and “Other” (4.0%). Concerning religion, 67.6% identified as Christian, 17.1% as religiously affiliated but not Christian, and 15.3% as Atheist/Agnostic. With respect to education 35.1% indicated “high school only or lower,” 31.4 % indicated “some college,” and 33.6% indicated having received a “Bachelor” or “Graduate” degree. 2424 participants were directed to the survey, 1885 of which finished the survey (attrition rate 22%).

We followed recommendations to minimize the problem of careless responding in online studies. Specifically, we employed 10 random attention questions and time controls to check for data quality. There were 385 participants who failed more than one attention check or finished the survey in under ~22 minutes and were therefore excluded from the sample. For the 1500 participants who successfully finished the survey, completion time was 67 minutes on average (MD: 51min).

2 Descriptives

2.1 Means, SD, Range, & SE

Table 1: Descriptives
Descriptives for Antiscientific Attitudes
mean sd median max range se
Distrust_of_climate_science_mean 4.69 1.22 4.80 9 8 0.03
Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith_mean 5.40 2.21 5.00 9 8 0.06
Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts_mean 4.21 1.31 4.50 9 8 0.03
AntiSci 4.74 1.16 4.78 8 7 0.03
Note:
n = 1500, min = 1
Table 2: Descriptives – Item Level
Descriptives for Antiscientific Attitudes at Item Level
mean sd median se
Distrust_of_climate_science1 5.21 2.67 5.00 0.07
Distrust_of_climate_science2 5.17 2.70 5.00 0.07
Distrust_of_climate_science3 5.53 2.59 5.00 0.07
Distrust_of_climate_science4 3.49 2.08 3.00 0.05
Distrust_of_climate_science5 4.06 2.30 4.00 0.06
Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith1 4.91 2.72 5.00 0.07
Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith2 5.90 2.35 6.00 0.06
Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts1 5.01 2.26 5.00 0.06
Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts2 3.41 1.81 3.00 0.05
AntiSci 4.74 1.16 4.78 0.03
Distrust_of_climate_science_mean 4.69 1.22 4.80 0.03
Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith_mean 5.40 2.21 5.00 0.06
Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts_mean 4.21 1.31 4.50 0.03
Note:
All items: n = 1500, min = 1, max = 9. AntiSci: min = 1, max = 8. Distrust_of_climate_science_mean: min = 1, max = 9. Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith_mean: min = 1, max = 9. Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts_mean: min = 1, max = 9

2.2 Response Distribution

Figure 1: Proportion of each construct of Antiscientific Attitudes at item level: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 2: Proportion of each construct of Antiscientific Attitudes at item level: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 3: Proportion of each construct of Antiscientific Attitudes at item level: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 4: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 5: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 6: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

2.3 Correlations

2.3.1 Correlation Plots

Figure 7: Bivariate Spearman correlations: Antiscientific Attitudes
Figure 8: Bivariate Spearman correlations: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 9: Bivariate Spearman correlations: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 10: Bivariate Spearman correlations: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note. Upper triangle shows Spearman’s rank-order correlations. *** p < .001, ** p < .01, * p < .05.

2.3.2 PIDF

Figure 11: Bivariate Spearman correlations by party identity: Antiscientific Attitudes
Figure 12: Bivariate Spearman correlations by party identity: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 13: Bivariate Spearman correlations by party identity: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 14: Bivariate Spearman correlations by party identity: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note. Upper triangle shows Spearman’s rank-order correlations by party identity. *** p < .001, ** p < .01, * p < .05.

2.3.3 Correlation Matrix

3 Demographics

3.1 Social Class

Figure 15: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 16: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 17: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 18: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 19: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 20: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note on the Raincloud Plots

  • Statistical summary (top): Welch’s t-test (or ANOVA) results, effect size, confidence intervals, p-values, and sample sizes are shown above each plot.
  • Bayesian analysis (bottom): Log Bayes factor and credible intervals are reported below each plot.
Table 3
Table 4: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by SES
(a)
SES N Mean SD
Poor 38 -0.14 0.99
Lower Middle Class 298 -0.08 1.11
Middle Middle Class 679 -0.07 0.95
Upper Middle Class 395 0.21 0.95
Rich 90 -0.03 1.05
(b)
SES N Mean SD
Poor 38 -0.14 1.21
Lower Middle Class 298 -0.12 1.02
Middle Middle Class 679 -0.11 0.97
Upper Middle Class 395 0.17 0.97
Rich 90 0.53 0.90
(c)
SES N Mean SD
Poor 38 0.18 1.12
Lower Middle Class 298 -0.08 0.95
Middle Middle Class 679 -0.05 0.99
Upper Middle Class 395 0.13 1.04
Rich 90 0.04 0.93

3.2 Gender

Figure 21: Antiscientific Attitudes Facets, as grouped by Gender: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 22: Antiscientific Attitudes Facets, as grouped by Gender: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 23: Antiscientific Attitudes Facets, as grouped by Gender: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 24: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 25: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 26: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 5
Table 6: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Gender
(a)
Gender N Mean SD
Female 760 0.12 0.96
Male 740 -0.12 1.03
(b)
Gender N Mean SD
Female 760 0.01 0.99
Male 740 -0.01 1.01
(c)
Gender N Mean SD
Female 760 0.02 1
Male 740 -0.02 1

3.3 Age

Figure 27: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 28: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 29: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 30: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 31: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 32: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 7
Table 8: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Age
(a)
Age N Mean SD
18-24 years 193 -0.09 1.07
25-34 years 264 0.15 0.98
35-44 years 263 0.02 1.00
45-54 years 292 -0.04 0.99
55-64 years 234 0.18 0.95
65+ 254 -0.23 0.96
(b)
Age N Mean SD
18-24 years 193 -0.02 1.01
25-34 years 264 0.15 1.03
35-44 years 263 0.09 1.06
45-54 years 292 -0.08 0.99
55-64 years 234 0.04 0.98
65+ 254 -0.18 0.90
(c)
Age N Mean SD
18-24 years 193 0.12 1.00
25-34 years 264 0.15 0.94
35-44 years 263 0.01 1.01
45-54 years 292 -0.06 1.04
55-64 years 234 0.03 1.03
65+ 254 -0.22 0.95

3.4 Education

Figure 33: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 34: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 35: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 36: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 37: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 38: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 9
Table 10: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Education
(a)
Education N Mean SD
Less than High School 51 -0.05 0.94
High School 475 -0.17 1.01
Some College 471 -0.02 1.01
Bachelor 310 0.21 0.92
Graduate 193 0.13 1.00
(b)
Education N Mean SD
Less than High School 51 -0.19 1.16
High School 475 -0.24 0.98
Some College 471 -0.04 0.98
Bachelor 310 0.17 0.96
Graduate 193 0.47 0.92
(c)
Education N Mean SD
Less than High School 51 -0.04 1.16
High School 475 -0.09 1.02
Some College 471 -0.08 0.95
Bachelor 310 0.17 1.04
Graduate 193 0.14 0.92

3.5 Income Levels

Figure 39: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 40: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 41: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 42: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 43: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 44: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 11
Table 12: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Income Levels
(a)
Income Levels N Mean SD
Less than $15,000 178 -0.10 1.06
$15,000-$24,999 180 -0.10 1.07
$25,000-$34,999 176 -0.13 1.08
$35,000-$49,999 227 0.15 0.87
$50,000-$74,999 292 0.03 0.94
$75,000-$99,999 192 0.08 0.95
$100,000-$149,999 160 0.05 1.03
$150,000 + 95 -0.09 1.04
(b)
Income Levels N Mean SD
Less than $15,000 178 0.01 1.03
$15,000-$24,999 180 -0.21 1.01
$25,000-$34,999 176 -0.13 1.03
$35,000-$49,999 227 -0.05 1.00
$50,000-$74,999 292 0.02 0.99
$75,000-$99,999 192 0.07 0.91
$100,000-$149,999 160 0.16 1.04
$150,000 + 95 0.28 0.93
(c)
Income Levels N Mean SD
Less than $15,000 178 0.10 0.94
$15,000-$24,999 180 -0.20 0.98
$25,000-$34,999 176 -0.10 0.98
$35,000-$49,999 227 0.04 0.93
$50,000-$74,999 292 0.01 1.02
$75,000-$99,999 192 0.17 1.04
$100,000-$149,999 160 -0.07 1.04
$150,000 + 95 0.03 1.08

3.6 Ethnicity

Figure 45: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 46: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 47: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note on the Okabe-Ito color palette. The Okabe-Ito color palette (seen above) is a set of colorblind-friendly categorical colors available in R. We are using this palette for graphs with non-ordered variables (e.g., groups, categories) for accessibility.

Figure 48: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 49: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 50: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 13
Table 14: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Ethnicity
(a)
Ethnicity N Mean SD
Caucasian/European origin 1237 0.00 1.00
Black/African American 115 0.00 0.98
Latino 88 0.08 1.00
Asian/Pacific Islander 29 0.08 0.91
Native American 13 -0.51 1.31
Other 18 -0.06 0.75
(b)
Ethnicity N Mean SD
Caucasian/European origin 1237 0.03 1.00
Black/African American 115 -0.28 0.97
Latino 88 -0.06 1.00
Asian/Pacific Islander 29 0.00 0.89
Native American 13 -0.08 1.07
Other 18 0.07 0.86
(c)
Ethnicity N Mean SD
Caucasian/European origin 1237 0.01 1.00
Black/African American 115 -0.10 0.93
Latino 88 0.17 1.16
Asian/Pacific Islander 29 -0.02 0.92
Native American 13 -0.48 1.04
Other 18 -0.33 0.71

3.7 Occupation

Figure 51: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 52: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 53: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 54: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 55: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 56: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 15
Table 16: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Occupation
(a)
Occupation N Mean SD
Employed 768 0.05 0.99
Retired 268 -0.11 0.96
Unemployed 146 0.04 1.07
Parent 104 0.00 0.94
Disabled 98 -0.14 1.08
Student 85 0.00 1.06
Full-time caregiver 31 0.02 1.03
(b)
Occupation N Mean SD
Employed 768 0.09 1.01
Retired 268 -0.14 0.88
Unemployed 146 0.05 1.05
Parent 104 -0.20 0.96
Disabled 98 -0.21 1.11
Student 85 0.12 1.02
Full-time caregiver 31 -0.15 0.91
(c)
Occupation N Mean SD
Employed 768 0.05 1.03
Retired 268 -0.08 0.92
Unemployed 146 -0.01 1.01
Parent 104 -0.14 1.01
Disabled 98 -0.13 0.99
Student 85 0.13 0.90
Full-time caregiver 31 0.10 1.07

3.8 Area

Figure 57: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 58: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 59: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 60: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 61: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 62: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 17
Table 18: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Area
(a)
Area N Mean SD
Urban 955 0.07 1.01
Rural 545 -0.12 0.98
(b)
Area N Mean SD
Urban 955 0.07 1.00
Rural 545 -0.13 0.99
(c)
Area N Mean SD
Urban 955 0.03 1.02
Rural 545 -0.05 0.97

3.9 Religious Affiliation

Figure 63: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 64: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 65: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 66: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 67: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 68: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 19
Table 20: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts as grouped by Religious Affiliation
(a)
Religious Affiliation N Mean SD
Christian 1014 -0.12 0.98
Muslim 9 -0.39 1.10
Jewish 52 0.41 0.80
Atheist/Agnostic 230 0.46 0.93
Not listed, No religion 195 -0.01 1.05
(b)
Religious Affiliation N Mean SD
Christian 1014 -0.25 0.89
Muslim 9 -0.16 0.95
Jewish 52 0.59 0.87
Atheist/Agnostic 230 0.97 0.81
Not listed, No religion 195 0.03 1.02
(c)
Religious Affiliation N Mean SD
Christian 1014 -0.05 1.03
Muslim 9 -0.33 0.69
Jewish 52 0.10 0.83
Atheist/Agnostic 230 0.21 0.94
Not listed, No religion 195 0.02 0.96

3.10 Section Summary

  Antiscientific Attitudes
Predictors Estimates CI p
(Intercept) 4.55 4.30 – 4.79 <.001
Age -0.08 -0.12 – -0.04 <.001
Income 0.00 -0.03 – 0.03 .976
Education 0.24 0.18 – 0.30 <.001
Gender (Male) -0.17 -0.29 – -0.06 .004
Observations 1500
R2 / R2 adjusted .059 / .056

4 Political Behavior

4.1 Political Orientation

Correlation with General Conservatism, Economic Conservatism, Social Conservatism

Figure 69: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 70: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 71: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 72: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 73: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 74: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 75: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 76: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 77: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note. The y-axis shows residuals after regressing the outcome on demographics (Age, Income, Education, Gender). This illustrates how much the focal construct explains beyond demographic factors.

Table 21: Antiscientific Attitudes and Political Orientation
Table 22: Antiscientific Attitudes models and Demographics

4.2 Partisanship

Figure 78: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 79: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 80: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 23: Mean Distrust_of_climate_science by Party Identity (raw means)
Party Identity N Mean SD
Strong Democrat 351 5.32 1.23
Democrat 223 4.90 1.13
Leaning Democrat 124 5.22 0.99
Independent 84 4.61 1.07
Leaning Republican 111 4.26 1.16
Republican 255 4.37 1.17
Strong Republican 318 4.11 1.03
Table 24: Mean Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith by Party Identity (raw means)
Party Identity N Mean SD
Strong Democrat 351 6.36 2.33
Democrat 223 5.63 2.09
Leaning Democrat 124 6.44 2.16
Independent 84 5.26 1.87
Leaning Republican 111 5.29 2.15
Republican 255 4.69 1.83
Strong Republican 318 4.35 1.91
Table 25: Mean Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts by Party Identity (raw means)
Party Identity N Mean SD
Strong Democrat 351 4.38 1.22
Democrat 223 4.39 1.30
Leaning Democrat 124 4.45 1.29
Independent 84 4.05 1.44
Leaning Republican 111 4.18 1.28
Republican 255 3.98 1.27
Strong Republican 318 4.03 1.40
Table 26: Antiscientific Attitudes & Party Identity (7-point)
Table 27: Antiscientific Attitudes & Party Identity with Controls

4.3 Religiosity

Figure 81: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 82: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 83: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Figure 84: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 85: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 86: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

Note. The y-axis shows residuals after regressing the outcome on demographics (Age, Income, Education, Gender). This illustrates how much the focal construct explains beyond demographic factors.

Figure 87: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 88: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 89: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

4.4 Candidate Preferences

Figure 90: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 91: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 92: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 28: Candidate Preference and Distrust_of_climate_science [centered]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 -0.48 0.90
Hillary Clinton 371 0.43 0.97
Bernie Sanders 362 0.35 0.91
Ted Cruz 122 -0.40 0.89
Jeb Bush 83 0.02 0.87
Gary Johnson 68 -0.08 0.93
Rand Paul 44 -0.43 0.83
Table 29: Candidate Preference and Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith [centered]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 -0.41 0.85
Hillary Clinton 371 0.20 0.98
Bernie Sanders 362 0.44 1.03
Ted Cruz 122 -0.46 0.92
Jeb Bush 83 -0.05 0.73
Gary Johnson 68 0.33 0.91
Rand Paul 44 -0.30 0.96
Table 30: Candidate Preference and Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts [centered]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 -0.25 1.05
Hillary Clinton 371 0.12 0.97
Bernie Sanders 362 0.14 0.91
Ted Cruz 122 -0.07 0.91
Jeb Bush 83 0.17 0.96
Gary Johnson 68 0.29 1.18
Rand Paul 44 -0.27 1.02
Table 31: Candidate Preference and Distrust_of_climate_science [raw means]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 4.10 1.10
Hillary Clinton 371 5.21 1.18
Bernie Sanders 362 5.12 1.11
Ted Cruz 122 4.20 1.09
Jeb Bush 83 4.72 1.06
Gary Johnson 68 4.59 1.13
Rand Paul 44 4.16 1.01
Table 32: Candidate Preference and Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith [raw means]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 4.49 1.88
Hillary Clinton 371 5.84 2.16
Bernie Sanders 362 6.38 2.27
Ted Cruz 122 4.39 2.04
Jeb Bush 83 5.30 1.62
Gary Johnson 68 6.14 2.02
Rand Paul 44 4.75 2.12
Table 33: Candidate Preference and Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts [raw means]
Candidate Preference N Mean SD
Donald Trump 444 3.89 1.37
Hillary Clinton 371 4.37 1.27
Bernie Sanders 362 4.40 1.20
Ted Cruz 122 4.11 1.19
Jeb Bush 83 4.43 1.25
Gary Johnson 68 4.60 1.55
Rand Paul 44 3.85 1.34

4.5 Party Preferences

Figure 93: Distrust_of_climate_science
Figure 94: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
Figure 95: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
Table 34: Party Preference and Distrust_of_climate_science [centered]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 0.42 1.01
Republican Party 508 -0.33 0.90
Libertarian Party 100 -0.17 0.86
Green Party 40 0.60 0.60
Tea Party 68 -0.66 0.77
Constitution Party 14 -0.83 0.71
None 120 -0.10 1.02
Don't know 90 -0.06 0.77
Table 35: Party Preference and Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith [centered]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 0.35 1.02
Republican Party 508 -0.41 0.84
Libertarian Party 100 0.41 1.01
Green Party 40 0.76 0.84
Tea Party 68 -0.45 0.84
Constitution Party 14 -0.28 0.80
None 120 -0.12 0.94
Don't know 90 -0.07 0.78
Table 36: Party Preference and Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts [centered]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 0.15 0.99
Republican Party 508 -0.14 1.02
Libertarian Party 100 0.15 1.01
Green Party 40 0.34 0.62
Tea Party 68 -0.28 0.93
Constitution Party 14 -0.13 0.81
None 120 -0.12 0.98
Don't know 90 -0.08 0.98
Table 37: Party Preference and Distrust_of_climate_science [raw means]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 5.21 1.23
Republican Party 508 4.29 1.09
Libertarian Party 100 4.49 1.04
Green Party 40 5.42 0.74
Tea Party 68 3.89 0.93
Constitution Party 14 3.69 0.86
None 120 4.57 1.25
Don't know 90 4.62 0.94
Table 38: Party Preference and Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith [raw means]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 6.17 2.27
Republican Party 508 4.49 1.86
Libertarian Party 100 6.30 2.23
Green Party 40 7.09 1.87
Tea Party 68 4.42 1.87
Constitution Party 14 4.79 1.76
None 120 5.15 2.08
Don't know 90 5.24 1.73
Table 39: Party Preference and Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts [raw means]
Party Preference N Mean SD
Democratic Party 560 4.41 1.30
Republican Party 508 4.03 1.34
Libertarian Party 100 4.40 1.33
Green Party 40 4.66 0.81
Tea Party 68 3.85 1.23
Constitution Party 14 4.04 1.06
None 120 4.05 1.28
Don't know 90 4.11 1.28

4.6 Voting

Table 40

    4.7 Voting & Party Identity

    Figure 96: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 97: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 98: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
    Table 41: Distrust_of_climate_science and Party Identity
    Donald Trump Hilary Clinton
    Strong Republican 282 7
    Republican 166 24
    Leaning Republican 58 7
    Independent 17 16
    Leaning Democrat 10 65
    Democrat 27 129
    Strong Democrat 4 323
    Table 42: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith and Party Identity
    Donald Trump Hilary Clinton
    Strong Republican 282 7
    Republican 166 24
    Leaning Republican 58 7
    Independent 17 16
    Leaning Democrat 10 65
    Democrat 27 129
    Strong Democrat 4 323
    Table 43: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts and Party Identity
    Donald Trump Hilary Clinton
    Strong Republican 282 7
    Republican 166 24
    Leaning Republican 58 7
    Independent 17 16
    Leaning Democrat 10 65
    Democrat 27 129
    Strong Democrat 4 323
    Table 44
    Figure 99: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 100: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 101: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    4.8 Likeability

    Figure 102: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 103: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 104: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
    Figure 105: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 106: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 107: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    Note. The y-axis shows residuals after regressing the outcome on demographics (Age, Income, Education, Gender). This illustrates how much the focal construct explains beyond demographic factors.

    Figure 108: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 109: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 110: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
    Figure 111: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 112: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 113: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    Note. The y-axis shows residuals after regressing the outcome on demographics (Age, Income, Education, Gender). This illustrates how much the focal construct explains beyond demographic factors.

    Figure 114: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 115: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 116: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
    Figure 117: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 118: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 119: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    Note. The y-axis shows residuals after regressing the outcome on demographics (Age, Income, Education, Gender). This illustrates how much the focal construct explains beyond demographic factors.

    5 Politico-Psychological correlates of Antiscientific Attitudes


    5.1 Ideologies and Partisanship

    Figure 120: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 121: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 122: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    5.2 Populism, Nationalism, Nativism, and Patriotism

    Figure 123: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 124: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 125: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts



    5.3 Political Psychology

    Figure 126: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 127: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 128: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    5.4 Social Justice Concerns, Empathy, and Prejudice

    Figure 129: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 130: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 131: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts



    5.5 Values

    Figure 132: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 133: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 134: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts



    5.6 Pot-Pourri

    Figure 135: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 136: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 137: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts



    5.7 Positive and Negative correlates of Antiscientific Attitudes

    Figure 138: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 139: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 140: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts
    Figure 141: Distrust_of_climate_science
    Figure 142: Skepticism_about_science_vs._faith
    Figure 143: Trust_in_ordinary_people_vs._scientific_experts

    6 Elastic Net Analysis

    Figure 144: Elastic net predicting Antiscientific Attitudes: Political Psychology
    Figure 145: Elastic net predicting Antiscientific Attitudes: Ideology & Partisanship
    Figure 146: Elastic net predicting Antiscientific Attitudes: Demographics
    Figure 147: Elastic net predicting Antiscientific Attitudes: Attitudes
    Figure 148: Elastic net predicting Antiscientific Attitudes: Everything
    Table 45: Elastic Net Summary
    Elastic Net R² for predicting Antiscientific Attitudes
    Variable Group # Predictors R²
    Political Psychology 5 .340
    Ideology & Partisanship 5 .295
    Demographics 5 .065
    Attitudes 6 .620
    Everything 21 .643