The Importance of Intellectual Humility for Fostering Effective Communication Between Scientists and the Public

Growing partisan gaps in confidence in scientists and scientific institutions, and other divisions among Americans across social identities, call for novel approaches to science communication. But common assumptions can often mask the nuanced nature of these divisions and the potential solutions that may be found through this understanding. This perspectives piece focuses on discussions at the colloquium about the need for more nuanced understanding about trust in science, and what research tells us about barriers and opportunities to bridge divisions in science and society. Specifically, in this piece, we highlight the potential for intellectual humility (i.e., willingness to revise one’s views and admit that one might be wrong) to ameliorate both the public’s biases toward scientists and scientists’ biases toward the public. We provide evidence that intellectual humility not only increases public engagement with science but can also reduce scientists’ (mis)conceptions about the public and one another, and we conclude with a discussion of how to foster mutual intellectual humility in science communication.