Confidence in science and technology increases in Chile

Chileans say they have more confidence in scientific development, they value technology in everyday life, but certain gender stereotypes and confusion continue in matters of basic knowledge.

UA Communications-. Is our life changed too fast by scientific development? Would we trust a vaccine made in Chile more, or less? Do boys and girls have the same math skills? These were some of the questions included in the III National Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology, carried out in 2022 and whose results have just been published by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation.

This is the new version of the survey -carried out before in 2015 and 2019- to evaluate the image of science, technology, knowledge and innovation, of scientific-technological applications, the interest of Chileans in these issues, the consumption of scientific and technological information, the associated daily practices, the perception of usefulness, the risks and benefits, and the impact that science and technology have on daily life.

Findings

The survey shows a positive evolution in the perception that Chileans are forming of science and technology. 74.2% believe that these subjects have been a contribution to the development of Chile in the last two years. 81% say that its development in the next 20 years will bring many or many benefits to the country. 51.8% associate scientific-technological advances with a lot or a lot of risk, a figure that, however, has decreased significantly since 2019, when it amounted to 74.3%.

In terms of valuing ancestral knowledge, 68.1% of those surveyed believe that the knowledge of native peoples is a necessary contribution to today’s society. On the other hand, 61.4% agree with the phrase “we depend too much on science and not enough on faith”.

“This survey is useful for the Ministry of Science and for all the actors in the scientific and technological community -explained Minister Aisén Etcheverry- because motivating critical thinking and curiosity is a country challenge. We have to demystify the idea that science is something distant, that it is only in the laboratory, when in reality it happens on a daily basis: it explains the water we drink, why the sun rises, it helps us build the devices that we use. The importance of recognizing it is that it opens the minds of all of us, and our children, that it is possible to understand the world from knowledge, and that is very valuable in times of misinformation and crisis because it generates a critical spirit”.

The Undersecretary of Science, Carolina Gainza, stressed that more than 80% of those surveyed consider that scientific and technological development makes their lives easier and more comfortable, and almost 48% believe that it will help reduce social inequalities: “As Ministry we have to continue working for the democratization of knowledge and so that more and more girls, boys, young people, people of all ages, gender and social status have access to science and knowledge, especially those that are generated in our country”.

Regarding the gender gap, one of the alarming results is that 18.2% of those surveyed still agree with the statement “girls have less math skills than the rest of the students”, and 27 .3% do not agree that women have the same possibilities of becoming researchers as other genders.

“This data should call us to reflection. It is a cultural issue to believe that boys are better in mathematics and girls are better in language, and it is an idea that later translates into the existence of careers that are more or less feminized, such as nursing or early childhood education. They all have the same capabilities,” Gainza insisted.

Regarding sources of scientific information, 40.5% say they read this type of news in newspapers or digital press (in a higher proportion than documentaries, rss or internet), and 35.9% in radio programs or podcasts. Regarding the activities they have carried out in the last year, 17% say they have attended a science exhibition or museum, in contrast to 78.2% who attend shopping centers. Meanwhile, 58.8% responded by going to the movies and/or watching movies online, 49.6% said they had read a physical or digital book, 39.1% visited a national park or ecological reserve, and 28.5% % says they have attended an art exhibition, theater or recital.

“Indeed, there are confusions about issues that might seem obvious to us: the speed of sound, of light, chromosomes. Does that mean that our population is poorly educated or knows little? I have doubts, rather I think that there is confusion regarding some components of pure and hard science, but there is also interest in understanding the much broader scientific contents and that opens a giant door to explain things more simply. The last time I heard about the xy chromosomes was three weeks ago helping my daughter study because they are teaching her that in biology at school, but I hadn’t thought about it in my last 30 years. The important thing is not to train people who have the answer to everything, but who are curious and go in search of knowledge”, concluded the Minister of Science, Aisén Etcheverry.

popularization of science

Promoting the socialization of knowledge and science, the development of memorable experiences, the participation of communities for the generation of new knowledge and also in the educational community for the development of competencies, are tasks of this ministry.

Through its Explora and Ciencia Pública programs, with a budget of 9 billion pesos per year, the Ministry of Science finances projects in all regions of the country focused on the development of competencies in scientific and technological issues in educational communities and the socialization of knowledge, through dissemination products in various formats, reveal local knowledge.

Methodology

The study -representative at the national level, both in urban and rural areas- was carried out in 2022 with a face-to-face registration in homes, followed by the application by telephone. For this third version, 7,800 households were surveyed, resulting in 8,344 responses from people over 15 years of age, Chileans or residents for 7 years or more, of both sexes, inhabitants of households throughout the continental national territory.

The survey required methodological adjustments to adapt to the health context resulting from COVID-19, with the challenge of not losing comparability with the two previous versions. Final results are available at

https://observa.minciencia.gob.cl/encuesta/encuesta-nacional-de-percepcion-social-de-las-ciencias