The future might be female: how does the public perceive experts?

Abstract

Recently, scientific experts have become increasingly influential in political decision-making. Although previous research has examined the extent and conditions under which politicians use scientific evidence, we know less about how citizens perceive scientific experts. In this study, we argue that the credibility of experts depends not only on the message they deliver or the medium they use, but also on the individual characteristics of the experts. Using data collected from an original survey experiment among Swiss citizens on climate change (N = 1,854), this study analyses whether the gender and discipline of experts influence citizens’ perceptions of their credibility. The results show that, contrary to our assumptions, citizens do not perceive female experts as less credible than their male colleagues. However, this effect is mainly driven by female citizens who consider female and social science experts as more credible. These findings have important implications for the role of experts in policy-making.