the-BA : Connecting Science

The BA today called for a better understanding of what underlies people’s attitudes towards science. The call follows the survey into public attitudes towards science published by the Office of Science and Technology (OST) and MORI in March and coincides with the release of the BA’s comprehensive review of research on science in society, Connecting Science.

‘Most research only scratches the surface of public attitudes towards science,’ says Professor Helen Haste, Chair of the BA. ‘Unless we understand what is behind these attitudes, we cannot expect effective dialogue to take place.

‘For example, the OST/MORI survey looks at the public’s trust of science and scientists. But what does “trust” actually mean? Is trust about telling the truth, or is it about accountability and making responsible decisions? Understanding what lies behind ethical concerns about scientific progress requires more than measuring how strongly people feel on the issue.’

The BA review concludes that there are three areas requiring action:

The role of ‘broker’ to disseminate and discuss research developments, bringing together researchers from different fields and disciplines, and connecting researchers with stakeholders, policymakers and the public.
Pragmatic research to fill factual gaps, for example about where people currently gain their knowledge about scientific matters, and about developments in education.
Research which goes into greater depth about people’s values, motivations and concerns. Survey results tell us much about what people believe; we need to understand more about why they hold these beliefs and how they manage their anxieties and concerns.

‘The BA’s long experience equips us to be the ideal broker,’ says Professor Haste. ‘If we are to understand better public attitudes towards science, we must first tackle both the pragmatic questions and the lack of in-depth knowledge. The BA is well placed to work with researchers across disciplines to facilitate future research which can explore in depth what lies behind public concerns, what is the nature of trust and how do people deal with complex values and ethical decisions.’

Connecting Science: What we know and what we don’t know about science in society can be downloaded here (PDF 658KB).

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