Scientists more often in the spotlight since the pandemic

Since the coronavirus pandemic, the role of scientists has changed. Despite online bullying, they are taking part more frequently in the public debate so as to counter false information, according to a global survey, albeit one with a low response rate.

Since 2020, scientists have stepped more often into the spotlight. This emerges from a study by Economist Impact and publisher Elsevier that was published on Tuesday, based on survey data provided by more than 3,100 scientists in 111 countries, including 253 in the Netherlands.

False information

Across the world, physicians (12 percentage points more) and social scientists (9 percentage points more) are the main groups that are publicly taking up the battle against false information. They therefore also have to face online bullying more frequently. The data show that one third of European scientists and almost half of North American scientists have been bullied online and sometimes even threatened, or have seen that happening to a close colleague.

Such bullying and threats raise impediments. For a quarter of all respondents, this strengthens their resolve to continue, but 23 percent say that they will make fewer pronouncements on climate, social and economic problems as a result.

Small survey

The analysts put the outcome of the survey itself into perspective. At 0.8 percent, the response was unusually low, so the analysts say that the sample is too small to be able to draw any accurate conclusions about individual countries.