Science: Getting the message across
'In Malta, 38 per cent of respondents cited sports as their main interest, a staggering 47 per cent prefer news regarding entertainment and celebrities and less than a third of the poll cited news on scientific research to be of any interest.'
A majority of Europeans are interested in science and well over half are satisfied with the way science is presented in the media, according to a Eurobarometer survey on scientific research in the media.
"There is so much science being done that has a direct impact on our daily lives, and it is important that the public is able to find out about it and engage with scientists," said European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik at the launch of the survey in Spain.
"The media has an immensely important role to play here, both in keeping people informed about scientific developments and in shaping how society perceives scientists and the work they do. I hope this first European Forum on Science Journalism will mark a renewal of the dialogue between scientists and the media."
The Directorate-General for Research commissioned a special Eurobarometer survey to explore what the media could do to achieve this goal. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in people's homes, in their national language, earlier last year in the 27 member states of the EU.
According to the Eurobarometer, although sport leads the overall ranking of interests at 40 per cent, followed closely by entertainment and celebrities, some 57 per cent of Europeans claim to be interested in scientific research. Interest is particularly high (over 70 per cent of citizens) in the Nordic and Benelux countries and in France, while at the other end of the scale three quarters of Bulgarians claim to have little or no interest in the subject. In general, interest is higher in the older EU member states than the newer member states.
Malta is a case in point. In all, 38 per cent of respondents cited sports as their main interest, a staggering 47 per cent preferred news regarding entertainment and celebrities and less than a third of the poll cited news on scientific research to be of any interest.
While citizens of the pre-2004 member states are more interested in medicine, environment and energy, the EU's newer citizens want to know more about information technology and space.
Most Europeans consider that scientific research is accorded sufficient importance by the media.
Overall, 56 per cent of those polled claimed to be satisfied, a quarter were dissatisfied and 20 per cent had no opinion. Further analysis of the statistics shows that people who had already expressed an interest in science are more likely to be happy with the performance of the media.
When asked in greater detail about their opinion of science coverage in the media, over 60 per cent described it as reliable, objective and useful. But around half said it was difficult to understand.
The importance attached to ease of understanding was backed up by another question which asked what people found most important when confronted with a piece of news about science. Top of the list was ease of understanding, followed by the topic and the usefulness of the news to the person.
The question of ease of understanding was also raised in the survey for the journalists themselves. Almost all of those polled cited specialised science publications and researchers as the best sources of newsworthy information. Over half of the journalists also described these sources as difficult to comprehend.
Given the difficulty experienced by many journalists in understanding researchers, one of the findings of the main Eurobarometer came as quite a surprise to many at the forum. Asked, "Do you prefer that science information is presented to you by journalists or scientists?" 52 per cent picked scientists, while just 14 per cent voted for journalists. Those who opted for scientists did so because they thought the information would be more trustworthy and precise.
As for the researchers themselves, a majority understood the importance of explaining their work to society. However, they lack support for such activities.
"There is a skills gap whereby scientists find it difficult to find the right language to communicate to wider audiences, as well as understanding which stories are relevant and usable by the media," the report reads.
"Meanwhile, journalists are unable to use science stories that are overloaded with complex information which is not interesting, verifiable or easily translatable into story format."
The statistics also showed that Europeans neither consider scientific news to be entertaining nor do they expect to be entertained by it. This could be interpreted in very different ways.
It could indicate there is little scope for a change in this area or it could mean that there is a dire need for effective communication with the public on scientific research activities and more needs to be done to render this topic more approachable if interest is to be increased.
The media can play a crucial role by helping to increase public support and understanding regarding the need to create a knowledge-based society. It could also contribute to encouraging investments in research and justify public funding. By attracting the attention of the young towards science, a solid basis can be created for the next generation of scientists which is essential for the lasting competitiveness of the EU.
The good news is that things are changing; a new guide to science journalism training issued by the European Commission reveals a wide variety of educational programmes of different lengths across Europe. The Commission also emphasised that many funding contracts under the Seventh Framework Programme require scientists to engage in communication activities.
The full report can be viewed at http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_282_en.pdf
• This information was provided by the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
http://www.mcst.gov.mt
"There is so much science being done that has a direct impact on our daily lives, and it is important that the public is able to find out about it and engage with scientists," said European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik at the launch of the survey in Spain.
"The media has an immensely important role to play here, both in keeping people informed about scientific developments and in shaping how society perceives scientists and the work they do. I hope this first European Forum on Science Journalism will mark a renewal of the dialogue between scientists and the media."
The Directorate-General for Research commissioned a special Eurobarometer survey to explore what the media could do to achieve this goal. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in people's homes, in their national language, earlier last year in the 27 member states of the EU.
According to the Eurobarometer, although sport leads the overall ranking of interests at 40 per cent, followed closely by entertainment and celebrities, some 57 per cent of Europeans claim to be interested in scientific research. Interest is particularly high (over 70 per cent of citizens) in the Nordic and Benelux countries and in France, while at the other end of the scale three quarters of Bulgarians claim to have little or no interest in the subject. In general, interest is higher in the older EU member states than the newer member states.
Malta is a case in point. In all, 38 per cent of respondents cited sports as their main interest, a staggering 47 per cent preferred news regarding entertainment and celebrities and less than a third of the poll cited news on scientific research to be of any interest.
While citizens of the pre-2004 member states are more interested in medicine, environment and energy, the EU's newer citizens want to know more about information technology and space.
Most Europeans consider that scientific research is accorded sufficient importance by the media.
Overall, 56 per cent of those polled claimed to be satisfied, a quarter were dissatisfied and 20 per cent had no opinion. Further analysis of the statistics shows that people who had already expressed an interest in science are more likely to be happy with the performance of the media.
When asked in greater detail about their opinion of science coverage in the media, over 60 per cent described it as reliable, objective and useful. But around half said it was difficult to understand.
The importance attached to ease of understanding was backed up by another question which asked what people found most important when confronted with a piece of news about science. Top of the list was ease of understanding, followed by the topic and the usefulness of the news to the person.
The question of ease of understanding was also raised in the survey for the journalists themselves. Almost all of those polled cited specialised science publications and researchers as the best sources of newsworthy information. Over half of the journalists also described these sources as difficult to comprehend.
Given the difficulty experienced by many journalists in understanding researchers, one of the findings of the main Eurobarometer came as quite a surprise to many at the forum. Asked, "Do you prefer that science information is presented to you by journalists or scientists?" 52 per cent picked scientists, while just 14 per cent voted for journalists. Those who opted for scientists did so because they thought the information would be more trustworthy and precise.
As for the researchers themselves, a majority understood the importance of explaining their work to society. However, they lack support for such activities.
"There is a skills gap whereby scientists find it difficult to find the right language to communicate to wider audiences, as well as understanding which stories are relevant and usable by the media," the report reads.
"Meanwhile, journalists are unable to use science stories that are overloaded with complex information which is not interesting, verifiable or easily translatable into story format."
The statistics also showed that Europeans neither consider scientific news to be entertaining nor do they expect to be entertained by it. This could be interpreted in very different ways.
It could indicate there is little scope for a change in this area or it could mean that there is a dire need for effective communication with the public on scientific research activities and more needs to be done to render this topic more approachable if interest is to be increased.
The media can play a crucial role by helping to increase public support and understanding regarding the need to create a knowledge-based society. It could also contribute to encouraging investments in research and justify public funding. By attracting the attention of the young towards science, a solid basis can be created for the next generation of scientists which is essential for the lasting competitiveness of the EU.
The good news is that things are changing; a new guide to science journalism training issued by the European Commission reveals a wide variety of educational programmes of different lengths across Europe. The Commission also emphasised that many funding contracts under the Seventh Framework Programme require scientists to engage in communication activities.
The full report can be viewed at http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_282_en.pdf
• This information was provided by the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
http://www.mcst.gov.mt