Trust the science? It depends.

A study by researchers Erik Nisbet, Kathryn Cooper and R. Kelly Garrett from Ohio State University found evidence that, depending on the issue, liberals and conservatives were similarly likely to distrust science. Distrust by the groups was higher when issues were politically charged, such as climate change, evolution, fracking and nuclear power.

Researchers pointed to the media as one of the factors that likely politicizes these debates and, as a result, harms scientific progress related to educating the public.

Global warming is one of the most hotly debated political issues in the U.S. Issues stemming from global warming range from national investments in alternative energy sources, where and whether or not to drill for oil and tax rates for companies that consume high levels of fossil fuels. Among politicians, these issues typically fall along partisan lines.

In the August 2011 edition of the Journal of Communication another group of researchers presented findings on media consumption habits and global warming perceptions. The results indicate politicians and the media have contributed to making this a partisan issue.

The study consisted of survey data from 2,164 Americans, age 18 and up. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 4 (very closely) participants noted their news consumption. In order to gauge science-based beliefs, researchers asked respondents about their certainty that global warming is occurring, perceived human cause, and perceived scientific agreement over the issue. They also asked respondents about their perceived risk of global warming, as well as their level of support for emission reducing policies. In addition, political ideology, religiosity, and demographics were part of the analysis.

Individuals who paid attention to science and environment news possessed views in-line with science-based beliefs. Conversely, individuals who paid attention to political news viewed global warming as a matter of debate, of lower risk and had fewer views based on scientific beliefs.

The researchers attribute part of the divide to the notion that scientific and environmental journalists are becoming more educated regarding the scientific facts of global warming. As such, individuals who consume science-based news possess views more closely related to the scientific community.

It is possible that political news journalists and reporters adherence to objectivity has something to do with the divergent opinions from the individuals that consume this news. If an issue is presented as partisan by politicians, then journalists likely feel obligated to report both sides of the story, even if facts are present that rebut one of the sides (think about the 'birther” and 'death panels” issues). A common assumption in political communication scholarship is that politically engaged individuals who consume public affairs news possess higher levels of political knowledge. This study lends itself to the argument that not all news is equal, and that the type of news an individual pays attention to reflects that individuals' knowledge regarding issues.

' Britt Christensen is a researcher who received his Ph.D. from the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. This article first appeared on insidesources.com. Comments: brittchris1@gmail.com