From Public Understanding of Science and Technology Towards Innovation Behavior of Population

Waken up in the era of European Enlightenment the dragon of science continues to inflame passions and minds of the contemporary societies. Scientific knowledge remains the major source of new technologies and innovation and therefore is considered as one of the key sources for economic growth and social welfare. However, in this trinity the the latter phenomenon remains less conceptualized. Since early 1960-s sociologists have been searching for ways to explain factors that influence public perception and understanding of science and technology to justify the need for continuous and growing investments in research and development. Studies implemented within the framework of so called "deficit model" showed that the perception of science by lay people is not limited with the level of their literacy. Moreover, the growing awareness of the economic and social effects of scientific and technological development eliminated the need for a dialogue between science and and society to provide public control over R&D activities and public engagement in S&T policymaking. Finally, a series of studies has shown that consumers themselves can act as innovators developing new products for their own use, solutions for common social problems and new behavioral patterns. Thus, there is a need for revision of dominating conceptual model that consider innovation as one of the expected and desirable outcomes of scientific development in order to explain if there is a fundamental difference between public understanding of science and public understanding of innovation. The paper suggests a brief review of recent studies in the area and proposes an approach to operational definition and sociological interpretation of innovative behavior of population.