Science interests more people than sport says Eurobarometer

These were just some of the findings of a new Eurobarometer survey carried out to gauge European citizens’ understanding of and attitudes towards science and technology. The survey was a vote of “common sense from the public,” EU Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn said in Brussels this week.

Joking that people’s greater interest in science than sport could mean that a “World Cup of Science would get even more people around the television than the football one does,” Geoghegan-Quinn added that more needs to be done to communicate science to society at large. “If that Science World Cup took place today, Europe would perform well, but we will more than likely be semi-finalists rather than winners and that is what our Innovation strategy will aim to change,” she said.

While the survey was commissioned before Geoghegan-Quinn took up her post earlier this year, the commissioner for research, innovation and science backs the idea of the survey – better communication is one of her key messages.

Among the findings of the survey, which were very similar to those of the last one carried out in 2005, were the following:

• 30 per cent of Europeans are very interested and 49 per cent moderately interested in new scientific discoveries and technological developments;

• 50 per cent of Europeans feel moderately informed about new scientific discoveries and technological developments, with just 11 per cent feeling very well informed;

• Europeans are not active in public issues on science and technology, with 91 per cent of respondents never or hardly ever attending public meetings or debates;  

• Respondents generally have a positive view about the image of science and technology but appear to have less clear insight into the work of the scientist;

• Europeans are optimistic about the effects of science and technology but marginally less so than in 2005;

• Respondents consider that scientists should take decisions about science, but that the public should be consulted;

• Those surveyed consider that scientists should communicate the message about science, but that they are not very efficient in doing so;

• Europeans consider that governments should do more to encourage young people and women to be involved with science;

• Respondents are not clear about the current level of EU investment in research, but feel that an increase in such investment would be beneficial;

Those who are interested in and feel informed about new scientific discoveries are much more likely to have a positive view of science and technology than those who are not at all interested or who feel not at all well informed.

The survey was conducted between 29 January and 25 February with face-to-face interviews with 31,243 people in 32 European countries (the EU member states, Iceland, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey).

The 2010 survey is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_340_en.pdf. The 2005 survey can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_224_report_en.pdf