Believing What We Want? Myside Bias and the Role of Open Science Practices in Public Trust in Science
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Public trust in science may depend not only on the quality of the research but also on laypersons’ attitudes towards the underlying topic. Although Open Science practices are meant to signal credibility, their influence on laypersons remains unclear, especially for scientifically controversial topics. In this preregistered Austrian study (N=1,083), general trust in science and myside bias strongly predicted trust in certain popular-scientific summaries, while explicit Open Science cues did not show an effect. Exploratory analyses showed that participants’ optimistic conceptions of science were also linked to higher trust. Overall, biased beliefs appear more influential than transparency-related cues for trust in science.
Source: Science Communication
Authors: Hilmar Brohmer, Fabian Gehm, Sarah von Götz
Institutions: University of Graz, Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
Funder: Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
OpenAlex ID: W7166799468