Institutional trust has been in decline since the late 1950s, Stephanie Baker, PhD, professor of sociology at City St George’s, University of London, London, England, told Medscape News Europe. Her research explores the intersection between society, technology, and culture in relation to health and medicine.
“Distrust of experts and elites proliferated among health and wellness influencers in the 21st century due to a series of incidents and scandals that received widespread attention, presenting the scientific and medical establishment as compromised by financial and political incentives. The erosion of trust was further accentuated by the pandemic.”
Baker’s research points to food, health, and industry controversies that contributed to this climate of distrust, including the British government’s initial reassurances over mad cow disease; global food fraud scandals involving fake apple juice, melamine-tainted milk, and horsemeat sold as beef; and concerns about the food industry influence over nutrition science. Such episodes, she has argued, helped reinforce the view that expert institutions could be shaped by commercial and political interests.
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