British Science Association wanted to conduct research into the perception and prevalence of the topic of science in both young people and adults’ lives. They wanted to understand how important they believe science is in society and how much trust they place in scientists’ profession, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For this research, we surveyed 2,000 people in the UK aged 14-18 (via their parents) and a nationally representative UK sample of 2,000 adults. Both groups were sampled to understand key differences in attitude and opinion across these them. The research project was carried out in February 2022.
We first asked who the respondents’ thought was most responsible for the handling of the COVID-19 health crisis. Almost three quarters (73%) chose the Government, with another 35% holding scientists responsible. We followed this by asking how concerned respondents were with the impact that COVID-19 may have on certain aspects of their life, including their education/exams/qualifications, their job, their future career etc. Some interesting key differences were uncovered here across the two groups sampled.
We discovered that 59% of the adults’ sample and 65% of the 14-18 sample agreed that they think science is important. The two groups also stated that they think science is a big part of our lives and people should all take an interest (47% and 41% respectively). We went on to ask which qualities and aspects that they think are the most essential to work in the science and engineering sector. Being logical, being open-minded and working well as part of a team came out as the top options for both samples.
We finished the survey off by asking how successful or unsuccessful respondents believe scientists are in the tactics they use to communicate with the public e.g., using a language that helps to connect with their audience, and when communicating specific goals they may have with the public e.g., inspiring people about the wonder of science.
Excel tables and an executive summary summarising key figures and insight were sent to the client at the end of the research project.