Contested science encompasses areas where there is strong scientific consensus but significant segments of the public hold false beliefs or distrust expert conclusions. These domains are frequently targeted by deliberate misinformation campaigns and are characterized by polarized public discourse despite robust evidence.
Common domains
Climate change: Despite 97%+ consensus among climate scientists on anthropogenic warming, public opinion remains divided with significant minorities believing climate change is not happening or not human-caused.
Vaccine safety: Vaccines are among the most studied and safest medical interventions, yet vaccine hesitancy persists due to misinformation about autism, side effects, and government control.
COVID-19 origin and prevention: Questions about SARS-CoV-2's origins, vaccine efficacy, and treatment protocols have been subject to widespread false claims despite scientific investigation.
Evolution: Despite overwhelming evidence, evolution denial remains prevalent, particularly in some regions.
Biotechnology and GMOs: Genetically modified organisms have undergone extensive safety testing, yet public concerns and misconceptions about their safety remain.
Psychological and social dynamics
Denial of scientific consensus often reflects:
- Identity-protective cognition: Accepting certain scientific conclusions may feel incompatible with existing worldview or political identity
- Institutional distrust: Skepticism toward scientists, government agencies, or medical institutions
- Organized misinformation: Coordinated campaigns by industries (tobacco, fossil fuels) or politically motivated actors
- Complexity and uncertainty: Scientific nuance and caveats in findings can be exploited to sow doubt
Interventions
Psychological inoculation has shown particular promise in protecting people against misinformation about contested science. By pre-exposing people to weakened versions of false arguments or warnings about manipulation tactics, individuals can resist stronger attacks on scientific consensus. This approach works even with people who initially hold non-mainstream positions on scientific issues.
Key papers
- Compton, van der Linden, Cook, Basol (2021) — Inoculation theory in the post-truth era: Extant findings and new frontiers — Comprehensive review of how inoculation theory addresses misinformation and conspiracy theories in contested-science domains including climate change, vaccine hesitancy, and COVID-19.
- Lewandowsky & van der Linden (2021) — Countering Misinformation and Fake News Through Inoculation and Prebunking — Review of prebunking approaches for contested science issues.
Related topics
- misinformation — false or misleading information more broadly
- climate-change-misinformation — specific case of contested climate science
- vaccine-hesitancy — specific case of contested vaccine science
- scientific-expertise — trust in expert judgment and scientific authority