Public trust in science and scientific authorities is pivotal to effective vaccine policy and public health. This article develops a cultural-cognitive model to explain how ideological identity structures trust in vaccine-related authorities. Drawing on a novel survey instrument, it examines how partisanship shapes perceptions of scientific authority and the legitimacy of science in public health. Findings reveal that conservatives consistently express lower trust in scientific authorities regarding vaccination while expressing greater trust in religious and political figures. These partisan effects are magnified among scientifically literate individuals, suggesting that vaccine skepticism is structured less by knowledge deficits than by political identity. This underscores how public health attitudes are anchored in social institutions—particularly trust in experts and the perceived role of science in policymaking—clarifying the institutional foundations of vaccine polarization.
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