Should we care about science denialism?

Science denialism is evolving, and scientists have an increasingly important role to play in stopping the spread of misinformation, discussed a panel of experts from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Graham Phillips, Lecturer in Science Communication and former ABC Catalyst host moderated a thought-provoking discussion between Professor Margie Danchin, Group Leader Vaccine Uptake, Murdoch Children’s Research Centre, Dr Jennifer Beckett, Lecturer in Media and Communication, Dr Andrew King, Lecturer in Climate Science, and Professor Fiona Fidler, from History and Philosophy of Science.

The discussion, entitled ‘Should we care about science denialism?’ was held during the 2023 Science Festival – a week-long celebration of science and innovation hosted by the Faculty of Science. More than 100 people attended the event in person, while another 60 tuned in online.

Dr Phillips started the discussion by asking panellists if they thought denialism was on the rise.

“It’s hard to have concrete evidence if science denialism is on the rise, but it’s much more visible and highly promoted on social media,” said Professor Danchin.

“I had a key role in trying to build confidence on the [COVID-19] vaccines, and the conspiracy theories on social media were absolutely rampant,” she said.

Dr King said that while it was difficult to say if climate change denialism has grown, the conversations deniers are having have evolved.

“It used to be about denying the world was actually warming, then it evolved into ‘humans aren’t causing the changes we’re observing’. These days, it’s more about ‘humans are causing the change, but it’s not that bad’. There’s been a transition in the arguments climate deniers are having,” Dr King said.

Professor Fidler brought up the influential role scientists have in communicating information with the public.

“We know the vast majority [of the public] trust that scientists will do what’s best for Australia. The trust in scientists is high, the trust in government less so,” Professor Fidler said, referring to results from the Pew Research Centre 2020 survey.

A tip Dr Beckett gave to medical practitioners, and scientists, on how to combat misinformation was to join social media discussions and utilise these platforms to share accurate information.

“I’ve seen some amazing medical practitioners putting the right information out there, and one of the things you can do is send people to these influencers, or even join social media yourself,” Dr Beckett said.

Understanding the techniques people use to spread misinformation, and teaching others, is a strategy Professor Danchin is looking at to tackle science deniers.

"Five techniques that anti-vaxxers use, in particular, are fake experts, people who cherry-pick information to make a point that overinflates a risk, unrealistic expectations, logical fallacies, and conspiracy theories. If we teach people to recognise the techniques science deniers are using, that’s a really good way of pre-bunking," Professor Danchin said.

Professor Fidler added that more public engagement with science is needed to build trust.

“We need more engagement with science. We need to find ways of talking about uncertainty with the public, and engaging them,” Professor Fidler said.

View the full event recording below.