SCC2011 - Public Attitudes to Science Survey

Learning from Public Attitudes to Science 2011
“When you think about it, everything’s
related to science”
Sarah Castell
Jayesh Navin Shah
Marilyn Booth

Our session today
1. What is Public Attitudes to Science 2011?
2. What we found
3. What the research process taught us about engaging the
public in science
4. Any questions and over to you – how you can take the
findings from the study forward

Aims of the research
BIS, working with stakeholders, wants to know:
 What the UK public think about science, scientists, science
policy and science regulation in the UK, and why
 How do people engage with science and their views on
public consultation on science?
 What is the perceived impact of science on society?
 What are people’s perceptions of science as a school subject
and a career choice?
 Views on specific Science & Society Expert Group issues
 How have public attitudes have evolved since previous PAS
studies conducted in 2000, 2005 and 2008?

Methodology
Mixed methodology
approach over 3 stages
Literature review
 Synthesise existing
knowledge
 Compare UK attitudes to
those in other countries
Cluster analysis
 Using survey data to
segment the UK
population
Face-to-face survey
 October-December 2010
 2,103 UK adults
 Representative sample
Four discussion groups
 February 2011
 London and Huntingdon
 Held with different cluster groups
to add insight to cluster analysis
Stage one
Stage three
Stage two
Reconvened workshops
 September and December 2011
 London, Beverley, Cardiff and Birmingham
 Explore the drivers behind attitudes – the
“why” – in depth

The UK public increasingly values science

73
79 82
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
62
70
59
67
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
% Agree science is such a big part of our lives we should all take an interest
% Agree it is important to know about science in my daily life
Most think science is important, and two-
thirds find it important to them personally
Q For each of the statements, please could you tell me the extent to which
you agree or disagree?
Base for 2011: 2,103 UK adults aged 16+
Fieldwork dates for 2011: 11 October-19 December 2010

People generally see science as benefiting
society, more so than in 2008
Fieldwork dates: 11 October-19 December 2010
82
70
79
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
54
46
43
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
% Agree on the whole, science will make our lives easier
% Agree the benefits of science are greater than any harmful effect

30
23
48
52
13
15
3
3
4
7
This is in terms of its economic impact…
The UK needs to develop its
science and technology sector in
order to enhance its international
competitiveness
Scientific research makes a
direct contribution to economic
growth in the UK
Base: 2,103 UK adults aged 16+
% Agree
75%
79%
% Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Neither/nor
% Tend to disagree % Strongly disagree % Don't know

… and also in terms of the wider cultural
benefits of science
“I watched a science
programme that shows how a
microchip is made. The
programme is very interesting
… It shows that science is not a
dry stuffy subject and can have
a lot of humour in it.”
Birmingham participant
“Before, [I thought] science
was the Bunsen burner,
nothing else, and then I
thought it’s everything:
gardening, food, glasses.”
“My son was thoroughly awestruck
with the Launchpad section [of the
Science Museum] … Showing
children the effects of viscosity,
light distortion, chemical reactions
and much more elicited quite a few
oohs and aaahs … whilst also
teaching them why.”
London participant
Half the public (50%)
have taken part in a
science-related leisure
activity in the past 12
months, e.g. a trip to a
science museum

0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Scientists are valued members of society,
again more so than in 2008
86 8885
76
67
82
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
% Agree scientists make a valuable contribution to society
% Agree scientists want to make life better for the average person

25
24
23
25
20
21
19
15
13
9
58
59
61
57
57
52
54
56
57
47
10
10
9
10
15
18
19
20
21
32
2
2
1
2
3
5
3
2
3
5
5
5
7
6
6
5
5
6
7
6
Most trust scientists to follow the rules,
though trust does vary by institution
Q How much, if at all, do you trust each of the following to follow any rules
and regulations which apply to their profession?
Scientists working for Government
% A great deal % A fair amount % Not very much
% Not at all % Don't know
Scientists working for private companies
Scientists working for universities
Scientists working for charities
Scientists working for environmental groups
Engineers working for universities
University lecturers
Engineers working for private companies
Researchers working for Government
Researchers working for universities
% Great
deal/fair
amount
72%
56%
83%
76%
72%
83%
82%
70%
72%
83%

Those who begin as sceptics are willing to
change their views
Technical
advances/
inventions versus
understanding
nature
See science as creatively
interpreting findings, not just
dull gathering of data
Initial conflicting or stereotypical
ideas of what science is about…
… but people were open to
changing views after discussion
“Useful” and
“less useful”
science (e.g.
space science)
See space science as equally
useful when hearing directly
from scientists about
development of CAT scans etc
Less trusting of
scientists
working for
industry
Reassess this when hearing
directly from industry
scientists (previous lack of
exposure to industry scientists)

However, people still have concerns about
science and scientists

12%
42%
17%
21%
5%4%
Over half are still concerned about whether
regulation can control individual scientists…
Neither/nor
Strongly agree
Don’t know
Tend to
disagree
Tend to
agree
Strongly disagree
Q Please could you tell me the extent to which you agree or disagree with
the following statement?
Rules will not stop scientists doing what they want behind closed doors
54% Agree
25%
Disagree

… and two-fifths are worried about the
intentions of scientists
Scientists seem to be trying new things without stopping to think about
the consequences
8%
33%
25%
25%
4%4%
Neither/nor
Strongly agreeDon’t know
Tend to
disagree
Tend to
agree
Strongly disagree
41% Agree30%
Disagree

Concerns often stem from a lack of
understanding of how science is done

Many still have a stereotypical view of
scientists
“A scientist is a teacher at
mum’s school and they mostly
do experiments on animals. I
would describe them as freaky
and weird.”
Beverley participant’s daughter
“You think of white
coats … they are like
advanced doctors.”
Cardiff participant
“When we don’t know
much about scientists we
get the impression they
are airy-fairy, head in the
clouds.”
Beverley participant
“A professor of
medicine … carry out
trials and tests with
chemicals.”

Many assume scientific data are checked…
18
5
44
31
17
24
10
26
1
7
10
7
Before scientific findings are
announced, other scientists have
checked them
Scientists adjust their findings
to get the answers they want
% Agree
% Strongly agree % Tend to agree % Neither/nor
% Tend to disagree % Strongly disagree % Don't know
62%
36%
… but don’t know this is a formalised process
called peer review, so doubts linger
“Don’t we tend to look after
our own? Sometimes we’re
very critical, but doctors tend
to be a closed circle and if
one makes an error they …
cover up and protect their
own.”
London participant

The kind of formalised process people want
to see is often in place, but not known about
51%
47%
39%
35%
32%
24%
16%
14%
14%
9%
If I knew that the findings had been formally
reviewed by other scientists
If I heard the same thing from a number of
different sources
If they had been published in a scientific journal
If they fitted in with other things I know already
If I could see the original study for myself
If I saw them on a TV programme
If the research had been done in the UK
If I read them in a broadsheet newspaper
If I had heard of the place where the
research was done
If I saw them on the internet
Q Which of these, if any, would make you more likely to believe the
findings of scientific studies?
Top ten mentions

But engaging with the public to improve this
understanding is challenging

6%
38%
40%
3%
11%
Most want to hear more about science than
they currently do…
far too much (2%)
Don’t know
the right
amount
too much
too little
Q Which of the following statements on this card do you most agree with?
These days I hear and see … information about science
far too little
8% too much/far
too much
51% too little/
far too little

… but more information does not always
make people feel more informed…
Q How well informed do you feel, if at all, about science, and scientific
research and developments?
% Informed trend
40 43
55
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Bang Goes the
Theory starts
on primetime
BBC One slot
BBC Year of Science
Government’s
Science: So
What campaign

… especially when there is conflicting
information to deal with…
There is so much conflicting information about science it is difficult to
know what to believe
15%
56%
15%
10%
3%
Neither/nor
Strongly agree
Don’t know
Tend to disagree
Tend to
agree
Strongly disagree (1%)
70% Agree
11%
Disagree
April 2008
July 2008

… and for one in four, hearing more about
science makes them more anxious
The more I know about science, the more worried I am
4%
20%
21%39%
14%
Neither/nor
Strongly agreeDon’t know (1%)
Tend to
disagree
Tend to
agree
Strongly disagree
24% Agree
53%
Disagree

7%
2%
21%
50%
17%
4%Don’t know
I’m not interested in public consultation on
science issues, as long as scientists are doing
their jobs
I would like to know that the public are consulted
on science issues, but I don’t want to be involved
personally
I would like to have more of a say in science
issues
I would like to become actively involved in
public consultations on science issues
I am already actively involved in public
consultations on science issues
Q Which of these statements, if any, comes closest to your own attitude to
public consultation on science issues?
Most want the public to be involved, but few
want to be involved themselves
But still 17 million
people wanting
more involvement

So how do you engage these different groups
in ways prefer and respond to?
Segmentation holds the clues…

Confident Engagers
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
Most engaged Least engaged
 One in seven (14%) of the population
 Tend to be between 35-54 and affluent (ABC1s)
Characteristics
 Already highly engaged, with strongly positive attitudes towards
science and scientists
 Keen for Government to put expert advice and evidence above
public and media opinion when it comes to science
 Concerns about how the media sensationalises science
Implications
 Already feel sufficiently engaged and informed
 May want to know more about how policymakers incorporate scientific advice into
policy and efforts to improve science reporting in the media

Distrustful Engagers
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
 Around one in eight (13%) of the population
 Tend to be men aged 55+ and affluent (ABC1s)
Characteristics
 Again, highly engaged and feel informed about science
 Less trusting of those that work in science, and less confident
in the Government’s ability to regulate them
 Interested in becoming more involved in public consultation and
think the public should play a larger role in science decisions
Implications
 Think of scientists as introverts, working behind closed doors, so the extent to which
scientists collaborate and work in teams may surprise them
 Make aware of the extent to which the public is already involved in decision-
making on science, and opportunities to get involved themselves

Characteristics
 Did not enjoy science at school
 But now take a strong interest in science, and interested in
becoming more involved in decision-making
 Strong environmental and ethical concerns, so climate change,
GM crops and vivisection are contentious issues
Late Adopters
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
 Around one in five (18%) of the population
 Tend to be women aged 16-34
Implications
 Engage more strongly with science when not treated as an isolated subject, but
instead relates back to their daily lives and interests
 Want to hear scientists discuss the social and ethical implications of their
research more

The Concerned
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
Characteristics
 Religion tends to play more important role in their lives
 Have strong views on the limitations of science and less
convinced about the economic benefits of investing in it
 Reservations about the intentions of scientists and whether the
Government can control them
 Around one in four (23%) of the population
 Tend to be women aged 16-24, less affluent (C2DEs) and from BME communities
Implications
 Want to hear more about the intentions of scientists, especially those working in
controversial areas such as stem cell research or synthetic biology
 Want to know how individual scientists and scientific professional bodies, as
well as Government, are responding to the public’s concerns

Disengaged Sceptics
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
Characteristics
 Again, put off science at school and today find it overwhelming
 Do not trust scientists to self-regulate, so have conservative
attitudes towards science regulation
 Don’t want personal involvement, but want to know the
Government is listening to the general public on science
 Around one in eight (13%) of the population
 Tend to be women and less affluent (C2DEs) with fewer qualifications
Implications
 Less likely to ever be interested in science, so more challenging for engagement
 But may engage more strongly if shown that science is already a big part of their
everyday lives

The Indifferent
CONFIDENT
ENGAGERS
DISTRUSTFUL
ENGAGERS
LATE
ADOPTERS
CONCERNED
DISENGAGED
SCEPTICS
INDIFFERENT
Characteristics
 Do not feel informed about science, but not especially
interested or concerned either
 More generally, tend not to be interested in new challenges or
learning new skills
 Think science is something that other people do
 One in five (20%) of the population
 Tend to be retired older people, often less affluent (C2DEs)
Implications
 Again, more challenging given that many do not want involvement
 A need to demystify science among this cluster, explaining that it can be simple, and
that anyone can do science

So in summary…
 The public values and is interested in science, and this
interest is rising – dispels the myth of an “anti-science” public
 Attitudes to science are not fixed – people are willing to
change their views based on what they see and hear
 Concerns often reflect a perceptions gap – many lack
understanding of the formalised processes in science
 Public engagement is not easy – more information does not
always make people feel more informed
 Targeting communication and engagement can ensure that it
is not always the same “Confident Engagers” getting involved

3. What the research process
taught us about engagement

From the qualitative work…
At best, science
seen as creative,
as well as rigorous
and meticulous
Older people have an
expectation that the science
“I learned at school” is
difficult and dry, while new
science is seen as
entertaining, stylish, easier
to engage with, with high
production values

From the qualitative work…
Participants didn’t know the process of doing science – how
funding works and how science gets out into the world…
… but they loved talking to scientists!

Over to you!
 What are the challenges of engaging our different segments
and how have you experienced this in the past?
 How does knowing about the different attitudinal groups help
you to take decisions on communication in future?
 What does it mean when people say they don’t feel informed?
 Is it the role of science communicators/public engagement
to make people feel informed?

SCC2011 - Public Attitudes to Science Survey

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