It’s called “affirmative bias”. They just look for the things they think confirms how they want the results to turn out.
On the other hand you have a bunch of folks who know a lot about the four fundamental forces, and they also know how to read the math used to explain the processes.
That's why the writer of the piece got a pret'near 50/50 split.
You have another, smaller group, who've read enough to know something but not everything (besides which there are things that are secret) and they don't feel they have enough knowledge of the four fundamental forces or of the experiments to come down one way or the other.
That third group are NOT SKEPTICS. Their knowledge of physics is probably way above that of the average individual.
I think you could get a quick shift one way or the other with the first two groups if you could prove one of two things ~ (1) That hot physics physicists are actually engaging in propaganda attacks against LENR to protect their government grants. Or (2) That LENR physics physicists and physical chemists have been engaging in propaganda attacks against hot physics in order to pick up their share of government grants.
Latest on FOX News this evening is that Cylindra is just one of SEVERAL multibillion dollar frauds.
The guys who went with LENR are going to feel lucky they weren't in on SOLAR or WIND ~ which are both turning out to be scams.