A comprehensive survey of scientists across ecology, evolution, and marine science has revealed significant disruptions to federal research programs following executive branch actions that began January 20, 2025. The study, which gathered responses from nearly 1,400 members of scientific societies nationwide, documents widespread impacts on research critical to American interests including food security, flood mitigation, infectious disease preparedness, and wildlife conservation.
The survey captured perspectives from scientists across all career stages and sectors, including academia, federal government, non-profit organizations, and industry, with respondents geographically distributed throughout the United States.
The survey will be published on August 25, 2025 at this website: https://www.firsthandaccounts.org/homeÂ
Research Disruptions: Federal policies and workforce restructuring have caused significant interruptions to ongoing scientific work. Respondents reported disruptions to summer data collection projects and long-term monitoring programs due to direct funding cuts or uncertainty about potential cuts. These disruptions affect research supporting critical national priorities including food security, flood mitigation, infectious disease response, and wildlife management.
Restrictions on Scientific Communication: Scientists reported experiencing restrictions on free speech and travel, along with chilling effects that discourage open scientific discourse. Survey participants also noted censorship of scientific terminology and expressed concerns about the federal government's ability to meet legal mandates enacted by Congress.
Loss of Institutional Knowledge: The Reduction in Force has led to decreased government efficiency and significant loss of institutional knowledge within the federal workforce. Respondents documented delayed funding decisions, postponed collaborative research projects, and increased waste from cancellation of in-progress studies. Some participants reported breakdowns in longstanding collaborative relationships between federal agencies and state governments, academic institutions, non-profits, and industry partners.
Training Program Impacts: Quantitative data from the survey highlight the critical role of federally funded programs in developing the next generation of scientists. Respondents reported severe impacts, including cancellation of undergraduate training programs, cuts to graduate admissions at universities, rescinded job offers, and reductions in merit-based fellowship programs. Scientists across career stages expressed concern about an emerging bottleneck for early-career researchers and potential long-term consequences for scientific fields.
Concerns About Information Integrity: Survey participants raised concerns about potential bias in or removal of information from federal sources, as well as threats to the viability of established federal programs such as the Bird Banding Lab.
Some respondents indicated that certain harms may already be irreparable, citing disruptions to time-sensitive data collection, lost training opportunities, damaged career prospects, and harm to communities served by federal scientific programs due to the loss of institutional expertise.
The survey results provide the first systematic documentation of how recent federal policy changes have affected the scientific research enterprise that supports national priorities and public welfare.
About the Survey: The study was distributed to tens of thousands of members of scientific societies specializing in ecology, evolution, and marine science, with nearly 1,400 scientists participating anonymously. Respondents represented diverse career stages, geographic locations, and employment sectors across the United States.