Nearly2 in 5 Covid-19 researchers have faced harassment, mainly over Covid issues. , survey finds

Almost 2 in 5 Covid-19 researchers have faced harassment, survey finds Harassment of researchers and public health officials during the pandemic has become a growing concern and a focus for professional organizations. NBC News

Nearly 2 in 5 Covid-19 researchers reported they had been harassed since the pandemic began, according to a new survey published Thursday in Science.

The survey included responses from 510 researchers who have published about Covid-19 and was conducted by the news team of the journal Science. 

The survey, which has not gone through a peer review process, found that 38 percent of those researchers had experienced harassment of some kind. Before the pandemic, 71 percent of respondents said they received less harassment or no abuse at all. 

Researchers reported personal insults and attacks on their professional capabilities as the most common types of harassment. Other types of abuse — such as threats of harm, physical intimidation and doxxing — were reported more rarely. Eighteen scientists — about 3.5 percent of those surveyed — said they received death threats. 

Scientists with public stances on politicized topics — including those against the use of the drug ivermectin — were more likely to experience harassment, the Science analysis suggested. ...