Gligorić Vukašin, Reinhardt Carlotta, Nieuwenhuijzen Ella, de Castro Josha Orobio, Feddes Allard R, van Kleef Gerben A, Rutjens Bastiaan T
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129B, 1018 WS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 8;15(1):1261. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-85208-7.
Anti-science movements brought more than public distrust in science. Perhaps even more worryingly, these movements are also associated with instances of harassment of-and violence against-scientists. However, virtually nothing is known about individuals likely to harass or harm scientists. Across two pre-registered studies (total N = 749), we investigated the role of worldviews (e.g., political ideology, conspiracy mentality, science cynicism), radicalization risk factors (relative deprivation and threat), and personality traits and how these relate to harassment of scientists (both attitudes and behavior). We found that science cynicism-the perception that scientists are incompetent and corrupt-drives approval of scientists' harassment (attitudes), as well as harmful behavior (e.g., refusing to donate money, not signing a petition). Additionally, perceiving scientists as threatening, as well as dark personality traits (psychopathy and narcissism), contributed to approving scientists' harassment. Overall, the present research takes a first step in identifying predictors of the willingness to harm scientists.
反科学运动带来的不止是公众对科学的不信任。或许更令人担忧的是，这些运动还与骚扰乃至暴力侵害科学家的事件有关。然而，对于可能骚扰或伤害科学家的个体，我们几乎一无所知。在两项预先注册的研究中（总样本量N = 749），我们调查了世界观（如政治意识形态、阴谋心态、科学犬儒主义）、激进化风险因素（相对剥夺感和威胁）以及人格特质的作用，以及它们与骚扰科学家行为（包括态度和行为）之间的关系。我们发现，科学犬儒主义——即认为科学家无能且腐败的观念——会促使人们赞同对科学家的骚扰（态度）以及有害行为（如拒绝捐款、不签署请愿书）。此外，将科学家视为威胁，以及黑暗人格特质（精神病态和自恋），也会导致人们赞同对科学家的骚扰。总体而言，本研究在识别伤害科学家意愿的预测因素方面迈出了第一步。
