Carmelo Polino

Indicators of the public perception of science and technology (S&T) are essential for strategic decision-making, providing input for closer exchange between science and diverse audiences. Our article aims to investigate the effects of age on interest, opinions, and attitudes regarding science and technology, comparing the results of two surveys with representative samples of the young and adult Brazilian population. The results show that the two audiences have positive views and high interest in S&T, but that they rarely visit spaces dedicated to cultural scientific activities. Young Brazilians expressed greater interest than adults in S&T. Even with less explicit interest in S&T and less contact with cultural scientific activities, adults were more likely to support more funding for S&T in Brazil. Whether for young people or adults, regional aspects should be considered in the perception and public communication of science and technology in Brazil to establish more assertive activities.

Resumo Em um contexto polarizado e complexo, a pandemia de COVID-19 ressaltou, entre várias crises, a da hesitação vacinal. Estudos apontam alta intenção de vacinar no Brasil, porém os dados oficiais indicam cobertura vacinal insuficiente. Com o objetivo de identificar a percepção e as atitudes dos brasileiros, foi realizado um estudo empírico utilizando a técnica de survey, totalizando 2.069 entrevistas domiciliares com pessoas com 16 anos ou mais em centros urbanos de agosto a outubro de 2022. Utilizamos técnicas estatísticas multivariadas, análise fatorial e modelos de regressão. Em geral, os entrevistados expressam visão positiva em relação às vacinas, mas os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que a confiança nos imunizantes pode estar abalada. Os graus de escolaridade e de conhecimento científico afetam algumas das atitudes dos brasileiros sobre as vacinas. Foram construídos índices considerando valores, trajetórias, contexto de vida e hábitos dos entrevistados. Para além da região de moradia e religião, índices de paridade de gênero, visão do papel do Estado e a confiança na ciência trouxeram informações relevantes, indicando a necessidade de estratégias alinhadas de comunicação com públicos diversos, considerando as variáveis que impactam a percepção sobre as vacinas.

Research on public attitudes toward science and technology policy has relied on surveys taken at single points in time. These surveys fail to indicate how these attitudes develop or change. In this study, we use data from the Longitudinal Study of American Life that has followed a national sample of Generation X for 33 years—from middle school to midlife. We demonstrate that the critical period for the formation of attitudes toward science and technology is the 15–18 years after high school—college, work, family, and career. The attitudes formed in this period remain stable for most individuals during midlife. This work provides an important perspective for scientists, engineers, and the leadership of the scientific community in their efforts to foster positive attitudes toward science and technology and to understand the roots of concerns and reservations about science.

In this article, we analyze the perception of Brazilians about climate change, in particular the factors that influence their view on the topic. To this end, a statistical analysis of data from a national survey was carried out, implemented through home interviews, with a representative sample of the Brazilian population. The data shows that most Brazilians believe that climate change is happening (91%) and, among these, that it is mainly caused by human action (86%) and that it could harm the next generations (average 9.11 on a scale of 0 to 10). It is also clear that the denial of climate change is influenced not only by sociodemographic factors, but also by dimensions associated with values, such as the perception of gender parity and State interference in the market.

The public acceptance of evolution remains a contentious issue in the United States. Numerous investigations have used national cross-sectional studies to examine the factors associated with the acceptance or rejection of evolution. This analysis uses a 33-year longitudinal study that followed the same 5000 public-school students from grade 7 through midlife (ages 45–48) and is the first to do so in regard to evolution. A set of structural equation models demonstrate the complexity and changing nature of influences over these three decades. Parents and local influences are strong during the high school years. The combination of post-secondary education and occupational and family choices demonstrate that the 15 years after high school are the switchyards of life.

In democratic societies around the world, the number of science policy decisions is increasing. One of the fundamental principles of democracy is that citizens should be able to understand the issues before them. Using a 63-year cross-sectional US data set, we use confirmatory factor analysis to construct and test a two-dimensional measure of attitude to science and technology that has been relatively stable over the last six decades. Previous and current research tells us that only one in three US adults is scientifically literate, meaning that trust in scientific expertise is important to many citizens. We find that trust in scientific expertise polarized during the Trump administration. Using the same data set, we construct two structural equation models to determine the factors that predict positive attitudes toward science and technology. Comparing 2016 and 2020, we find that the Trump attacks on science did not reduce public support for science.

The COVID-19 pandemic seriously affected spaces of cultural heritage that play a significant role in the extension of scientific culture. This document addresses its effect on public communication of the archaeological site of Atapuerca (Spain), World Heritage (UNESCO). It contributes to the scarce production of information from primary sources on public communication of science in archaeology and archaeological heritage. A qualitative investigation with 116 interviews was carried out with three groups of agents: responsible Atapuerca scientists, Atapuerca communication institutions, and local, regional, national and international scientific journalists. The results indicate that Atapuerca managed to minimise the impact of confinement and maintain its visibility through strategies mediated by technology and the connection of the narrative of human evolution to the pandemic. It shows the interconnections between science and society and reflects how the production of knowledge in contemporary science is multidimensional and operates at various levels and with different social agents.