Anti-Scientific Americans : The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the US

In Anti-Scientific Americans, Matthew Motta offers new theoretical and data-driven insights into the prevalence, origins, and policy consequences of anti-intellectualism in the US. He brings together "micro-level" survey data from cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys spanning six decades, and aggregated "macro-level" data from hundreds of opinion polls dating back to the 1940s, to show that anti-intellectualism is both a pervasive and pernicious presence in American public life. A methodologically rigorous and empirically powerful account of one the most profound forces in American politics, this book will be of interest to scholars and students throughout the social sciences interested in why experts generate such resentment. Cover Anti-Scientific Americans : The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the US Copyright Dedication Acknowledgments Contents 1: Anti-Scientific Americans? Conceptualizing Anti-Intellectualism It’s Personal: Anti-Intellectualism as an Affective and Group-Based Phenomenon Expert Dislike and Distrust Who Is an Expert? Measuring Anti-Expert Attitudes Experts and Intellectuals: The Eye of the Beholder Approach The Scientific Community: A More-Narrow Approach How Anti-Intellectualism Relates to Populism What’s at Stake? The Plan of This Book A Word of Caution: Experts Are People Too 2: The Nature and Origins of Anti-Intellectualism Understanding Anti-Intellectualism: An Affective and Group-Centric Theory Psychologically Unpacking the Group-Based Origins of Expert Dislike and Distrust Applying SIT, SCT, and ITT to Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement The Political Psychological Inputs and Policy-Relevant Outputs of Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement Static Inputs: Who Holds Anti-Intellectual Attitudes? Republican Partisan Identity and Symbolic Ideology A Hostile Legacy Connecting Anti-Expert Partisan Rhetoric to Public Opinion Preferences for Limited Government Religiosity The Tea Party and the Temporal Dynamics of Asymmetric Polarization Dynamic Inputs: What Motivates Change in Anti-Intellectualism? Knowledge of Basic Scientific Facts Interest in Scientific Research Experts’ Policy Influence: The Bidirectionality Thesis Testing the Group-Centric Model: A Preview 3: Validating Two Approaches to Measuring Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement in Public-Opinion Surveys A Refresher: Two Approaches to Measuring Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement The Public-Opinion Data: An Overview GSS Time Series Studies (1974–2018) GSS Panel Studies (2006–2010, 2008–2012, 2010–2014) CSPP Panel Study (2016) ANES Pilot Study (2019) and 2020 Time Series Study Science and Policy Rolling Cross-Sectional Study (2020–2021) Validating the Two Micro-Level Indicators of Anti-Intellectualism Content Validation, Part 1: Americans’ Definitions of Expertise and How Scientists Contribute to It Content Validation, Part 2: How Anti-Intellectual Thought Underpins Evaluations of Scientists Convergent Validation: Assessing the Empirical Overlap between the Two Measures Conclusion 4: The Prevalence of Anti-Intellectual Attitudes Macro Anti-Intellectualism Database (1944–2021) The Problem with Prevalence A Pervasive Problem or an Overhyped Myth? A Pluralistic Prevalence Assessment Conclusion 5: Origin Story Part I: Explaining Between-Person Differences in Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement Analytical Strategy: Detecting Between-Person Differences in Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement Measures and Data Model Input Stability Assessment Results Partisan Identity Ideology Limited-Government Attitudes Religiosity Reverse Causality Assessment “Taxed Enough by Academics?” Attitude Polarization and the Rise of the Tea Party Conclusion 6: Origin Story Part II: Change in Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement Analytical Strategy Data and Measures Results Reverse Causality Assessment Exploring the Effects of Expert Contact in Higher-Educational Settings Conclusion 7: The Bidirectionality Thesis: Hofstadter’s Forgotten Prediction Testing the Bidirectionality Thesis Data and Measures Data Measuring General Expert Policy Role Orientations Results Conclusion 8: Anti-Intellectualism and Its Pernicious Policy Consequences Anti-Intellectualism and the Rejection of Evidence-Based Policy Climate Science Public Health Economics Elite Responsiveness to Public Anti-Intellectualism Measuring Expert Influence in the Policymaking Process Climate Science Economics Public Health Robustness Checks Conclusion 9: What’s Next, Doc? Just Asking Questions: Emerging Strains of Anti-Intellectualism Toward a Unified Approach for Improving Trust in Experts Restoring Faith in Experts: A Unified Approach A Brief Note on System-Level Reforms Is American Anti-Intellectualism Exceptional? Limitations and Directions for Future Research It’s Personal: Concluding Reflections on the State of Anti-Intellectual Attitude Endorsement in the United States APPENDIX MATERIALS FOR “Anti-Scientific Americans: The Prevalence, Origins, and Political Consequences of Anti-Intellectualism in the US” Contents Supplementary Materials for Chapter 3 Technical Compendium to Chapter Three Supplementary Materials for Chapter 4 Supplementary Materials for Chapter 5 Variable Measurement Supplementary Materials for Chapter 6 Science Knowledge Test (Question Wording and Coding Protocol) Supplementary Materials for Chapter 7 Supplementary Materials for Chapter 8 References Index