---
title: "Modeling how knowledge, conspiracy thinking, and mistrust shape public understanding of science"
id: "pubmed-42758686"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42758686"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Critical Care"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/"
doi: "10.1371/journal.pone.0341946"
published_at: "2026-09-18T00:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Modeling how knowledge, conspiracy thinking, and mistrust shape public understanding of science
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42758686
- **Specialty:** [Critical Care](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/critical-care.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/)
- **DOI:** [10.1371/journal.pone.0341946](https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0341946)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-18T00:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The study compares deficit models (knowledge-focused) and constructivist perspectives (coexistence of epistemologies) in public trust in science and identifies a missing link: the mechanism connecting knowledge, alternative epistemic orientations, and mistrust. - Authors apply a **multilevel structural equation model** using cross-national survey data from Europe collected during the **COVID-19** pandemic to test pathways from scientific knowledge to mistrust in science. - **Conspiratorial reasoning** is examined as a key mediating mechanism linking scientific knowledge to mistrust at both individual and regional levels. - The analysis incorporates moderation by individual-level cognitive, motivational, and ideological traits as well as macro-level political, cultural, and economic factors. - Results indicate that conspiratorial reasoning significantly mediates the relationship between scientific knowledge and mistrust in science across levels of analysis. - The strength of the mediated associations varies with factors such as **informational engagement**, regional value climates, and **religiosity**, showing conditional effects rather than universal protective effects of knowledge. - The authors conclude that scientific knowledge functions as a conditional epistemic resource: it does not uniformly defend against mistrust but operates depending on other psychological and contextual conditions. - Data source, sample sizes, precise measures, and statistical estimates were not reported in the abstract available in the source provided. - The study focuses on public opinion and comprehension in the context of SARS-CoV-2 and pandemic-related public understanding of science. - No competing interests were declared by the authors according to the source.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Affiliations Expand ### Affiliations * 1 Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Türkiye. * 2 Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. * PMID: **42758686** * DOI: [ 10.1371/journal.pone.0341946 ](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0341946) Item in Clipboard # Beyond deficit and coexistence: Modeling the knowledge-conspiracy-mistrust configuration in public understanding of science Ahmet Süerdem et al. PLoS One. 2026. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID PLoS One Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22PLoS+One%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22PLoS+One%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/) . 2026 Sep 18;21(9):e0341946. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0341946. eCollection 2026. ### Authors [Ahmet Süerdem](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=S%C3%BCerdem+A&cauthor_id=42758686)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Türkiye."), [Svetlomir Zdravkov](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Zdravkov+S&cauthor_id=42758686)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria."), [Martin J Ivanov](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Ivanov+MJ&cauthor_id=42758686)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42758686/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.") ### Affiliations * 1 Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Türkiye. * 2 Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. * PMID: **42758686** * DOI: [ 10.1371/journal.pone.0341946 ](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0341946) Item in Clipboard Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID ## Abstract Debates about public trust in science often contrast deficit-based models, which emphasize the role of scientific knowledge, with constructivist perspectives that highlight the coexistence of multiple epistemologies. However, both approaches tend to overlook the mechanisms that link scientific knowledge, alternative epistemic orientations, and mistrust in science. To address this gap, the study applies a multilevel structural equation model within a multidimensional framework to examine conspiratorial reasoning as a key mechanism through which scientific knowledge influences science mistrust. Using cross-national survey data from Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis also considers how this pathway is moderated by individual cognitive, motivational, and ideological traits, as well as macro-level political, cultural and economic factors. The findings reveal that conspiratorial reasoning significantly mediates the relationship between scientific knowledge and mistrust at both individual and regional levels. Moreover, the strength of these associations is conditioned by factors like informational engagement, regional value climates, and religiosity. Overall, the results suggest that scientific knowledge serves as a conditional epistemic resource, rather than a consistent buffer against mistrust in science. Copyright: © 2026 Süerdem et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 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