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Institute of Physics Survey Asks "is the geek dead?"

October 31, 2003

Is a physicist a bearded man in glasses, the geek in the Yakult advert or something more unexpected? This week the Institute of Physics (IoP) set out to find out whether the stereotype of a physics "boffin" still exists.

A random selection of shoppers on Oxford Street in London were asked to pick out the physicist from a photograph of a line-up of possible suspects. Most people assumed that this was easy. However, 98 percent of those asked got it wrong.

The majority of people asked by the survey picked a white male of around 60 years old, wearing glasses and with a white beard. While this might have been the image of an average physicist fifty years ago, the reality is now very different. Since 1960 the number of young women entering physics has doubled and the average age of a physicist is now 31*.

During 2003 the IoP completed a much larger survey of its members to find out what they thought about physics, about the IoP and what they thought of themselves. This survey revealed that members themselves hold this national stereotype; believing that the average member was male, around 60 who would wear a tweed jacket and that if physicists threw a party there would be sweet white wine, classical music, a selection of cheese and definitely no dancing. The 2003 members survey is the basis of a drive by the Institute to improve its services and activities. One of its key findings is that members want a higher profile for physics in the UK, believing that making physics and physicists more visible to the public, would help dispel some of these myths.

Dr. Petra Boynton, a social psychologist at University College London, said: "The stereotype of a physicist has lasted a long time partly because the media help promote the image of white men in glasses sitting by a blackboard full of equations . This isn't necessarily the fault of journalists, they use stereotypes because people are comfortable with them. When they deviate from them, the public tend to complain."

She continued: "These stereotypes are really damaging to society. Very good school children might be put off doing physics because they don't see images of people like them on television, or in magazines, doing physics or science in general."

Dr. Julia King, Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics said: "One of the most surprising things in our members survey was that the members themselves believe the geek stereotype even though they themselves aren't like this! The IoP not only wants to persuade the media to change the images they promote but also to get physicists themselves to recognise and promote the diverse nature of our own community!"

Institute of Physics