February 15, 2015-Scientists say they are facing a challenging time and 87% believe that scientists should take an active role in public policy debates. In addition, a sizable share believes that engaging with the public and news media can advance the careers of scientists, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The survey of 3,748 American-based AAAS scientists finds that 71% of those surveyed believe the public has either some or a lot of interest in their specialty area and 53% say there is a lot or some debate in the news about their field.
Scientists in this sample are engaged in a variety of ways with the public and media - through interviews, social media, and blogging. Many scientists report that media coverage of their research and social media use is part of their work and they think that some news coverage poses problems for science. A sizable share of scientists also believes that gaining coverage and participating in social media can further their careers. The key data:
"Science topics are increasingly becoming part of the public debate and scientists clearly feel they should be in the arena," said Lee Rainie, Pew Research Center director of internet, science and technology research. "These views link to a broad feeling in the science community that things are not as good as they used to be, that the research funding environment is more precarious, and policy decisions in key areas like land use and environmental quality are not often based on the best science."
These are some of the findings from the second of several reports analyzing data from a pair of surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center in collaboration with the AAAS. A survey of the general public was conducted using a probability-based sample of the adult population by landline and cellular telephone Aug. 15-25, 2014, with a representative sample of 2,002 adults nationwide. The survey of scientists was conducted online with a random sample of 3,748 U.S.-based members of the AAAS from September 11 to October 13, 2014. AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society, and includes members from all scientific fields.
Other key findings:
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These findings are for immediate release and available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/02/15/how-scientists-engage-public/ .
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dana Page at 202.419.4372 or dpage@pewresearch.org .
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. The non-profit AAAS, founded in 1848, is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more.