How the World Trusts Science: Launch of the Wellcome Global Monitor 2026

Do people around the world trust science? Do they see it as benefiting them or their community? What factors influence trust in science? What are the implications when trust changes? And what does trust mean for global health resilience? These questions have never been more urgent.

The Wellcome Global Monitor 2025 - the world's largest dataset tracking how public attitudes to science are changing across global, regional, and national scales - reveals profound implications for global health policy, health systems strengthening, and global scientific progress. At a time of mounting pressure on health systems, growing misinformation, and widening global uncertainty, the findings highlight the importance of trust to global health resilience. They also raise urgent questions about how equity, access, and engagement with the public shape trust in science and health systems.

In this session, panelists and the audience will discuss:

• Where trust in science is strongest, and who trusts science across regions and demographics, including age and income
• Whether science is seen as serving the public interest and the expectations for how science and technology will shape the next generation’s lives
• The relationship between trust in science and access to and confidence in health systems

The Wellcome Global Monitor provides evidence on how the public views science around the world. Join us to explore what the findings reveal and what action could look like for your institution, your policy agenda, or your community.