The most important healthcare tool is trust

Doctors and nurses have traditionally been among the most trusted people in society. According to the Wellcome Global Monitor, the largest-ever survey of public attitudes toward science and health, that remains true: more than 70 percent of those who responded to the survey said they trust scientists, doctors and nurses. But their responses also indicated there is no room for complacency.

Half of the 149,000 respondents from more than 140 countries said they know little or nothing about science, and almost one in five doesn't think that it benefits them personally. This lack of engagement with science raises serious - even life-threatening - risks.

Consider attitudes toward vaccines. Globally, the vast majority of people recognize that vaccines are safe, effective and necessary. But in some wealthy countries, the share of people who trust vaccines is plummeting. In France, for example, 33 percent of the people do not believe vaccines are safe and effective.