The Impact of Community-Driven Science Projects in Strengthening Public Trust in Environmental Policies

Abstract

Effective environmental governance rests on two things: how willing citizens are to get involved, and how much confidence they place in the bodies that make and enforce environmental rules. Community-driven science projects, more widely known as citizen science, have become a practical way of drawing ordinary people into environmental monitoring, data collection, education, and the day-to-day work of putting policy into effect. This study examined how such projects shape public trust in environmental policy, looking specifically at whether citizen monitoring builds transparency and accountability, whether it raises environmental awareness and scientific literacy, and whether it deepens community ownership and participation. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with data drawn from 384 community members involved in environmental projects through a structured five-point Likert questionnaire, analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Transparency and accountability were found to correlate significantly and positively with public trust (r = 0.672, p < 0.05); environmental awareness and scientific literacy also had a positive influence; and together with community ownership and participation, these three factors accounted for 64.8% of the variance in public trust (R² = 0.648, F = 117.426, p < 0.05). The study concludes that community-driven science projects are a workable strategy for strengthening environmental governance through broad participation, sharper accountability, and greater public confidence, and recommends stronger government support, formal integration of citizen science into policy processes, and greater investment in community-based environmental education.Keywords: community-driven science, citizen science, environmental governance, public trust, transparency, scientific literacy, community participation