Why people reject science
The results showed that free-market ideology was an overwhelmingly strong determinant of the rejection of climate science. Image: janrysavy/iStockphoto Researchers from The University of Western Australia have examined what motivates people who are greatly involved in the climate debate to reject scientific evidence. The study Motivated Rejection of Science, to be published in Psychological Science, was designed to investigate what motivates the rejection of science in visitors to climate blogs who choose to participate in the ongoing public debate about climate change.More than 1000 visitors to blogs dedicated to discussions of climate science completed a questionnaire that queried people's belief in a number of scientific questions and conspiracy theories, including: Princess Diana's death was not an accident; the Apollo moon landings never happened; HIV causes AIDS; and smoking causes lung cancer. The study also considered the interplay of these responses with the acceptance of climate science, free market ideology and the belief...