US 75% of scientists in US weigh leaving amid Trump \'disruption

75% of scientists in US weigh leaving amid Trump 'disruptions to science,' poll finds

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-scientists-trump-disruptions-science-poll.html

by Brendan Rascius

The American scientific community could soon be plagued by a brain drain, recent polling suggests.

In a survey of U.S.-based scientists conducted by Nature, 75% of respondents said they were "considering leaving the country following the disruptions to science" brought about by President Donald Trump's administration.

Meanwhile, the remaining 25% said they were not weighing moving.

The poll—conducted in mid-March—sampled about 1,650 respondents through Nature's website, newsletter and social media.

"As such, the survey is not a representative sample of the general population of U.S. researchers," Nicky Phillips, an editor at Nature, told McClatchy News on March 31. "The numbers quoted in the story are simply the views of the people who chose to respond to the survey."

Early career scientists were especially likely to say they are mulling over leaving the country.

For example, 79% of postgraduate researchers—548 out of 690—said they were considering bidding adieu to the U.S. Similarly, 75% of Ph.D. students—255 out of 340—responded the same.

And when asked where they might go, many respondents listed Canada and Europe.

The poll comes two months into Trump's second term, during which time his administration has slashed jobs and funding across the federal government, including at scientific institutions.

Among the organizations affected is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funds biomedical research throughout the U.S. and the world.

"Since Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, NIH funding has dropped by more than $3 billion compared with grants issued during the same period last year," according to an analysis by The Washington Post.

Federal funding for U.S. colleges is also now in doubt following Trump's aid reductions to several elite universities—in an attempt to make them comply with his agenda, according to the Associated Press.

In response to these actions, more than 1,000 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine signed a letter published on March 31, which addressed what they see as "real danger" in Trump's agenda.

"We call on the administration to cease its wholesale assault on U.S. science, and we urge the public to join this call," the open letter said. "We all benefit from science, and we all stand to lose if the nation's research enterprise is destroyed."