Dr. Maya Goldenberg, a philosophy professor in the College of Arts, spoke to CBC News about how the public reacts when politicians ignore their own advice about following pandemic protocols.

Goldenberg said when political and public health leaders act as if the rules don’t apply to them, they damage public trust in their leadership. That’s a serious problem given that the leadership in this pandemic “needs a lot of public buy-in to successfully implement pandemic containment measures,” she said.

Goldenberg researches the philosophy of science and the roots of why some people become wary of science. She is the author of Vaccine Hesitancy: Public Trust, Expertise, and the War on Science.