In 2020, science and democracy are both in crisis. Facts, long considered the bedrock of democracy, are increasingly questioned. At the same time, the public has lost faith in the institutions most responsible for producing reliable facts. To reflect on what this means for democracy, the Trust in Science project has convened a roundtable of four leading experts from academia and public life. Their knowledge spans the crises that have marked this year, from pandemic response to the census to police reform. Hear their thoughts on the myriad ways that trust in science is interwoven with trust in democracy.
Led by Sheila Jasanoff, the HDSI’s Trust in Science Project is a collaboration between the Harvard Data Science Initiative and the Program on Science, Technology & Society.