The Danger of Activist-Driven Science

Science and activism have always had a complicated relationship. Science helps uncover truths about the world, often revealing problems that demand attention. Activism, by definition, is about pushing for change—it starts with a conclusion about what should be done and works to make change happen. Science can inform activism, but activism need not be based on any scientific findings.¹

Spector (2024) argued that when scientists engage in activism, they risk compromising the neutrality and integrity of the scientific process. Scientific research is supposed to be a method of discovery, not a tool for persuasion. When researchers strongly believe in a cause, those beliefs don’t just shape how they interpret results—they influence what they study, how they design their research, and even how they report their findings.

The issue isn’t whether research should inform change. Of course, it should! The problem arises when activism dictates conclusions before the research even begins. Smets (2025) argued that a key distinction exists between evidence-based beliefs, which emerge from analysis of the data, and belief-based evidence, where conclusions are set in advance and the evidence is selectively gathered to support them. And when beliefs are strongly held, belief-based evidence can have profound effects on the research process.

Beliefs and the Scientific Process

The beliefs we hold create a bias toward maintenance of those beliefs (i.e., confirmation bias; Oeberst & Imhoff, 2023). The stronger we hold those beliefs, the stronger the bias. And when those beliefs are tied to our identity, values, or broader ideological commitments, the effect becomes even more pronounced. In such instances, we’re more likely to engage in motivated reasoning, actively seeking out evidence that supports our beliefs and dismissing evidence that contradicts them.

The consequences of this bias extend beyond personal decision-making. In a prior post, I’ve explored how science is often treated as a tool for justifying pre-existing policy positions rather than as a method for discovering truth.² This same dynamic applies within research itself. Bias doesn’t begin at the point of interpretation; it can be embedded in every stage of the process, long before any data is collected, especially in the social sciences.³

Bias is a natural part of any human endeavor. We bring beliefs to those endeavors that influence how we approach them. An architect, for example, possesses beliefs that bias their design choices, and a lawyer possesses beliefs that bias how they interpret the law. Scientists, regardless of the expectations placed upon them, are not exempt from the presence of belief-based biases. They shape how scientists approach issues, how they operationalize and measure variables, and how they interpret and present their results.

But scientists should strive toward a neutral pursuit of truth based on evidence.⁴ A commitment to that pursuit means actively seeking to design studies that reduce the likelihood that scientists’ beliefs will adversely affect research quality (e.g., by testing assumptions, seeking to eliminate alternative explanations, maintaining a degree of skepticism in one’s beliefs). But this balance is disrupted when researchers take on the role of activists. When this happens, the pursuit of truth takes a back seat to the pursuit of a cause, and the safeguards that normally keep biases in check begin to erode.

When Science Becomes Activism

When researchers take on the role of activists, the balance between curiosity-driven inquiry and belief-driven research begins to break down. The primary aim of science—to uncover truth, regardless of where the evidence leads—becomes secondary to advancing a particular cause.

Scientific safeguards against bias, such as testing assumptions, eliminating alternative explanations, and maintaining skepticism, start to weaken under activist influence. The problem isn’t just that activism introduces bias. It actively removes self-correcting mechanisms that keep biases in check.

At that point, science becomes a tool to promote a cause. Certain research questions become off-limits because they risk producing inconvenient findings, while others get framed in ways that implicitly assume a particular answer. Study designs become structured to favor a desired outcome by using samples, methodologies, measures, and statistical tools that increase the likelihood of finding a desired effect or association. Results become interpreted through the ideological lens, where supportive evidence is promoted and emphasized, while refutational evidence (if any were even possible to produce) is downplayed or selectively excluded from presentation.

Over time, this process creates the illusion of consensus, where opposing perspectives struggle to be published—not because they are wrong, but because they challenge the dominant narrative (Jussim, 2024; Nisson, et al., 2016). Peer review often becomes—intentionally or not—a way to safeguard the narrative. Studies that promote the cause are easier to publish, and those that don’t often never see the light of day, regardless of their quality.

The consequences of activist science extend beyond academia. Public trust in research declines when it is seen as agenda-driven rather than impartial (Pew Research Center, 2023). This fuels polarization, where science becomes a political weapon rather than a tool for shared understanding. Additionally, misallocated resources become a problem—when funding prioritizes politically favored research over open-ended inquiry, science is steered by ideology rather than genuine discovery (Efimov et al., 2024). And this can create backlash, leading to overcorrections when political power shifts, undermining support for legitimate science in the name of rooting out bias.⁵

Ultimately, activist-driven research prioritizes persuasion over truth-seeking (Khaitan, 2022).⁶ The more researchers see themselves as advocates rather than investigators, the more they contribute to a scientific culture that rewards ideological conformity and punishes dissent. In doing so, they erode the very foundation that gives science its credibility: its commitment to following the evidence, wherever it leads.

Conclusion—Advocacy Without Activism

None of this is to say that scientists should never advocate for evidence-based practices. Science is meant to inform decision-making, and researchers in applied fields naturally contribute to workplace policies, public health initiatives, and other areas of practical application. The issue is not whether they should push back against bad practices, but whether their research is designed to uncover truth or to justify a predetermined position.

Admittedly, there’s not a clear separation point at which science ceases to be about the pursuit of truth and becomes the pursuit of a cause. Both can go hand in hand, at least to some degree. The challenge lies in recognizing when the balance shifts—when the drive to support a cause begins to shape the research process itself, influencing what questions are asked, how studies are designed, and which findings are emphasized or downplayed. When the pursuit of a cause takes precedence over the pursuit of truth, science risks losing the very credibility that makes it valuable in the first place.

The irony is that overt activism within science actually undermines science’s ability to promote effective practice. If research is seen as agenda-driven rather than impartial, public trust declines, skepticism increases, and real evidence gets lost in the noise of ideological battles. Scientists can and should challenge flawed policies, pseudoscience, and misinformation—but they should do so by upholding the integrity of the scientific process.

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