What Do People Believe In?

In an era where disinformation and conspiracy theories increasingly shape public discourse, m.core/WU Vienna, our cooperation partner in the “Im Fokus” survey series, wanted to find out: What do people truly believe in? The March 2025 edition took a closer look at this very question – A Survey on Facts and Myths:

A total of 328 participants (48% female, 52% male, average age 44.5 years) took part in the online survey. They were asked to rate how strongly they believe in various concepts – ranging from scientifically grounded topics to spiritual or esoteric ideas. One area of particular interest: attitudes toward human-made climate change.

Between Science and Spirituality

The results paint a clear picture: At the top of the trust ranking is science, followed by conventional medicine, psychotherapy, naturopathy, and human-caused climate change. These areas received average agreement scores between 4.9 and 5.6 on a scale from 1 (“don’t believe at all”) to 7 (“absolutely believe”).

In contrast, topics such as UFOs, superstition, astrology, or reincarnation were met with more skepticism, ranking in the lower third of the scale.

Interestingly, both conventional and alternative medicine enjoy a high level of acceptance. While conventional medicine (5.6) and psychotherapy (5.3) clearly lead, naturopathy (5.1) and even homeopathy (3.9) reached respectable values.

Climate Change – A Matter of Belief?

One of the central topics of the survey was human-made climate change. With an average score of 4.9, the majority believes in its man-made origins. At the same time, however, there is significant uncertainty when it comes to people’s own ability to take action.

When asked, “How much do you personally believe you can do to fight climate change?”, responses were surprisingly evenly distributed:

• 40% of respondents believe they can do little or nothing at all.
• Another 42% believe they can personally make a difference.
• The remaining respondents fall somewhere in between – torn between resignation and hope.

What Do These Findings Mean?

These results provide important insights into how communication should be designed across businesses, education, and politics:

• Trust in science and medicine is high – this trust should be actively used to communicate complex topics such as sustainability, health, or technology in an understandable way.
• There is a need for empowerment: Many people simply don’t know how they can meaningfully contribute to climate protection. What’s needed are clear, actionable steps that demonstrate real impact.
• Skeptical topics should not be ignored: Engage those topics in dialogue – with respect and proven facts.

The survey makes one thing clear: Anyone who wants to reach people should focus on transparent, science-based, and emotionally resonant communication.

You can find the full report (in German) here!

published: 07.04.2025