Forming Relationships With Scientists Through Film: A Qualitative Study of Viewers’ Trust, Identification, and Value Alignment

Drawing on open-ended responses from a national U.S. survey ( N = 630) of viewers of Observer , a documentary film featuring scientists engaged in practices of observation, we examine how audiences explained trust, identification, and perceived value alignment with the film’s characters, most of whom were explicitly identified as scientists. Participants most often cited relational and affective qualities—curiosity, authenticity, attentiveness, and communication style—rather than formal expertise or social identities. Findings distinguish trust, identification, and value alignment as distinct forms of affinity, and illustrate the relational, affective, and experiential reasoning audiences drew on when articulating connection with scientists in this context.