Moral values and trust in science

Mistrust in science can arise from the belief that science or scientists act in ways that undermines our wellbeing or go against our best interests (Jaiswal & Halktis, 2019). Such actions may also constitute a perceived moral violation. Considering how science and scientists are perceived to uphold or undermine moral norms and values may therefore provide helpful insights for understanding relationships of trust. In this review of the trust literature, I explore some of the ways that individuals or communities may perceive different categories of moral values (i.e., Harm, Purity / Sanctity, Authority, Loyalty, and Fairness) as being upheld or undermined by science or scientists. Firstly, examples of harm are discussed (e.g., physical and spiritual harms), followed by research on trust in science and individual differences (i.e., disgust sensitivity, religiosity, and worldviews and ideologies). Research around social identity, and fairness are also examined. Identifying where and why perceived moral violations may arise could be helpful for furthering our understanding relationships of mistrust in science and developing tailored interventions to build and sustain trust. It also provides an opportunity for scientists and researchers to reflect on the moral values that they and any communities they seek to work with hold to ensure any procedures and practices do not inadvertently undermine the trust relationship.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).