Science Barometer 2024

With the Science Barometer, Wissenschaft im Dialog has been collecting population-representative data on the attitudes of citizens in Germany towards science and research every year since 2014. The aim is to contribute to a fact-based discourse on the relationship between science and the public and targeted science communication by collecting, processing the data and communicating the results. The questionnaire of the science barometer contains questions on cognitive attitudes such as interest and information and the information behavior of the respondents on topics from science and research. In addition, evaluative attitudes are surveyed, including trust, the assessment of the benefits and risks of science and the social role of research. The questions are aimed at general attitudes towards science and research. In individual cases, questions are also dedicated to specific research areas or technologies or, alternating annually, to current developments in science and the public. The project is sponsored and supported by the Carl Zeiss Foundation and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

The results of the Science Barometer 2024 are based on 1005 telephone interviews (CATI) conducted from July 27 to 30, 2024 as part of a multi-topic survey conducted by Verian on behalf of Wissenschaft im Dialog. The German-speaking resident population in private households aged 14 and over served as the basic population. Respondents were selected by means of a multi-stage random selection including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample).<br>1. Interest in and awareness of science and research: interest in the topics of politics, economics and finance, science and research; awareness of science and research

2. Participation in science and research: agreement with statements on the transparency of science and research (important that citizens are involved in decisions on new research topics, public is sufficiently involved in decisions on new research topics, scientists make too little effort to inform the public about their work, scientists work for the benefit of society, scientists are aware of the social impact of their work); participation of citizens in science and research (would like to participate in a scientific research project, interest in taking part in a discussion format with scientists).

3. Trust in science and research: general trust in science and research; trust in sub-areas of science and research (development of modern humans, formation of the earth, man-made climate change, renewable energies, vaccinations and gender identity); reasons for trust in scientists (expertise, working according to rules and standards, research in the public interest); reasons for distrust in scientists (frequent mistakes, adapting results to own expectations, dependence on funders); understanding of “doing scientific research” (coded open-ended responses); agreement with statements about the complexity of science and research (science and research have so little relevance to everyday life that they are not relevant to me, science and research are so complicated that I do not understand much of it, controversies between scientists are helpful because they help to ensure that the right research results prevail, when scientists contradict each other, it is difficult for me to judge which information is the right one, I personally benefit from science and research).

4. Current topic: Perception of academic freedom in Germany; reasons for a positive or negative perception of academic freedom (coded open-ended responses); attitudes towards the impairment of public communication about research: Likelihood of possible reasons that could restrict scientists and scientific freedom (attacks on scientists in social media, deliberate misinterpretation of research results in public debates, research results are not communicated if they contradict the current state of research, political/business donors dictate to scientists what they may communicate, universities or other scientific institutions dictate to scientists what they may communicate, journalists report research results in a distorted way); mutual influence of science, politics and business: assessment of the influence of science on politics, of politics on science and of business on science.

5. Personal connection to science and research: job in science and research; connection to science and research in the wider environment: professionally involved in science and research elsewhere, family members or friends who have studied or are still studying; personal acquaintance with a scientist; assessment of own religiosity; respondent or at least one of the parents born abroad (migration background).

Demography: sex; age; school education; occupation; occupation in detail; household size; children under 14 years of age in the household; net household income; eligibility to vote; party preference.

Additionally coded were: Interview no.; interview duration (in seconds); weight; location size (BIK); federal state; region east/west.