Allegiance Bias in Science: Imprisoning the Truth

Without realizing it, one reason for the decline in trust in government results from “allegiance bias.” Allegiance bias occurs when scientists “distort findings based on investigators’ preferences”—but some decisionmakers also are guilty of these biases. 

We have seen recent cases where allegiance to theories drive both science and policy, e.g., COVID policies, global climate change, international trade (social science), and even diets. When people find out that biases are driving decisions, trust declines.

Restoring trust was a theme at the World Economic Forum where “global thinkers” met in Davos, Switzerland to “shape government, industry, and social sectors.” One speaker said that, to restore trust they must “communicate in a very simple, accessible way and to explain what it is that we do: us as politicians, you as scientists.” Another said, if you don’t explain it correctly, people will not understand the wisdom behind their pronouncements, and it may trigger “extreme reactions.” A third speaker from Harvard said that Davos must fight against “organized disinformation campaigns by industries with a vested interest in denying the science.”

Read the full piece on my Substack here.