We’ve lived through the “Generation Gap” and the “Missile Gap” (which wasn’t real). Now many think we are in what could be called the “Science Gap.” A spanking new study by the Pew Research Center and AAAS shows Americans understand less about current science (only about half know that stem cells differentiate into other kinds of cells) and scientists say they aren’t getting enough funding for basic science, partly because the public doesn’t understand the process of science. There are plenty of data here to pick from as fodder for your individual peeve. Mine is there: scientists blame the media for the public’s lack of understanding of science while at the same time admitting that they rarely talk to reporters. Only 3 percent of AAAS members say they give the media the time of day. How’s that for cause and effect? People still have a lot of respect for scientists and physicians and their contributions to society (70 and 69 percent, respectively), but that doesn’t mean they understand what they’re talking about. In my experience, most Mayo researchers will talk to reporters unless they are with patients or on an immediate grant deadline. That’s heartening. What’s not is the disconnect that we are seeing in the foundational understanding of science. One respondent says it happens between elementary and junior high school. You might call it the line when science shifts from being “cool” to being the stuff of nerds. The new survey implies that society never quite recovers from that shift. Clearly scientists of all walks need to see public education and PR as a professional duty. Short of a new “sputnik” on the horizon, it’s clear we all need to build a lot of bridges. Any suggestions?
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The newly released Pew/AAAS study actually reflects what other similar public understanding of science survey studies have shown with regards to the publics basic knowledge of science – that it is lacking. Thinking critically and knowing how to think critical are closely related and I tend to think are as problematic as this basic lack of fundamental knowledge. Generally speaking, as a scientist myself, I tend to agree – again in general terms, that the media can be a source of the lack of understanding of scientific studies by the public. That said, it isn’t all just the journalists; they are often under pressure to produce catchy stories and lest we forget – news and information is now 24/7 and pretty much anyone can post a “news brief” on a blog or personal website. I think that the scientific community – and individual scientists, need to step up to some of the responsibility they have to communicate more and more patiently with the media and with the public. Science and technology are advancing ever so quickly, we are in many areas conducting research on topics that many might call “socially sensitive”, and preserving and building public trust is even more important now than ever. What is needed – and others have called for this as well (e.g.Banff Workhop on Communication for Senior Scientists, March 2009), are true partnerships between scientists and science journalists and communication experts. There may be some effort in creating and maintaining these partnerships – but I bet the payoff will be well worth it: open dialogue amongst all members of society about important scientific issues and advances.
Thanks, Jen. For those of you who don’t know, Jennifer McCormick, Ph.D. is a biomedical ethicist at Mayo and author of Beyond Sputnik, U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century.