Party-colored trust? Ties between party preference and epistemic trust in climate change issues

The relationship between party preference and epistemic trust is a seldom studied subject, especially regarding climate change issues. Previous studies have focused mainly on left–right and liberal–conservative divides and the role of partisan media. Here, we deployed a design that allowed an examination of how party preferences shape epistemic trust in experts and science as well as in different information sources of climate change-related knowledge in the multi-party environment of Finland, a country known for its high societal trust in science and institutions. Based on survey data, we found that party color affects epistemic trust in multifaceted ways. The supporters of the New Left and Green parties were consistent and unified in showing epistemic trust, the voters of the Social Democratic Party trusted agencies of urgent climate action and agencies of industry, and the voters of the populist far-right showed low epistemic trust in general.