Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has often seemed to spread as fast as a virus itself.

Millions of people have disregarded scientists' advice on vaccines and masks and tried unproven and potentially unsafe treatments.

It's the latest, but far from the only example of science denial, and of how public doubt and disbelief of science can harm people's

health and the health of the planet. Science has become polarized and politicized, but science

denial crosses party lines. On hot-button topics such as vaccines, climate change, and genetically

modified foods, people across the political spectrum are susceptible to the psychological forces

that lead them to disbelieve what scientists are telling them and to seek out information that confirms

rather than challenges their biases.

So what are these psychological forces?

Why do people doubt and deny scientific findings?

Is science denial worse now than it's ever been? Does the American public

trust scientists or look upon them with suspicion? How have the internet and social media

magnified science skepticism? And what can scientists, science communicators, and science educators do

to help people gain a more accurate understanding of how science works.

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

We have two guests today who are co-authors of a new book called Science Denial, Why It Happens and What to Do About It, published in July by Oxford University Press.

First is Dr. Gail Sinatra, a professor of psychology and education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education.

Dr. Sinatra's recent research focuses on understanding the role

that motivation and emotion play in teaching and learning about controversial science topics

such as evolution and climate change. She's a fellow of APA's Division of Educational Psychology

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