Factors of Increasing and Decreasing Lay Public Interest in Science and Technology: Sociological Analysis Using Panel Data

Despite the prevalence of pro-science views among adult population and the generally positive lay public assessment of science and technologies (S&T) development effects on everyday life, the level of interest or engagement with S&T remains low. As previous studies suggest, the relationships between public attitudes towards science and other S&T-related indicators can vary across countries. However, most changes in public opinions get overlooked as cross-sectional monitoring surveys can’t fully grasp laypeople’s engagement with science. Therefore, we need to look more into the panel researches. For example, a study by Klinger et al. (2022) found that over time engagement with science can change upward (become more positive) and downward (become more critical).

Overall, researchers in science communication field suggest that popularization of science should aim not only at dissemination of scientific knowledge, but at fostering of lay public interest as well. Therefore, current study investigates the factors driving the changes in lay public interest in S&T. The panel dataset covers a five-year period. Three waves of a nationally representative survey on the topics of Science, Technology and Innovation (2018, 2020, 2023) analyzed. The sample size is around 4000 respondents aged 18-65 (as of the first wave). The analysis revealed that pronounced interest in science is less stable compared to low or moderate interest. It was also found that more than one third of respondents experienced a (usually downward) change their level of interest in S&T news. The results of between-group migration analysis suggest scientific literacy, S&T awareness, trust scientific findings and other S&T-related factors to be significant predictors of lay public interest in science. Overall, the outlined findings expand our knowledge regarding the nature of interest in science. The results can also be used for science communication improvement among different social groups.