Science today is exciting, and full of opportunities. This crisis of confidence is of great importance both to British society and to British science. Public interest in science in the United Kingdom is high. Survey data reveal, however, negative responses to science associated with Government or industry, and to science whose purpose is not obviously beneficial. These negative responses are expressed as lack of trust.
People now question all authority, including scientific authority.
There is still a culture of governmental and institutional secrecy in the United Kingdom, which invites suspicion. Some issues currently treated by decision-makers as scientific issues in fact involve many other factors besides science. Framing the problem wrongly by excluding moral, social, ethical and other concerns invites hostility. What the public finds acceptable often fails to correspond with the objective risks as understood by science. This may relate to the degree to which individuals feel in control and able to make their own choices.