How many Chinese people have not visited a science museum in the past year? Why didn't they? These questions will be answered by a survey to be conducted early next year to measure the scientific knowledge of the Chinese public.
A similar investigation carried out last year showed that 85.9 percent of Chinese people had not toured a science museum in the last year, while 81.4 percent had not attended a scientific exhibition. However, the 2001 survey failed to investigate the reasons for this lack of scientific interest.
According to Thursday's China Youth Daily, the 2003 survey will investigate the issue and will also make proposals to improve the situation.
Sources with the China Institute of Science Popularization (CISP), the survey's sponsor, said the poll will randomly sample 8,500 individuals across the country.
China conducted similar surveys in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 2001, and a data bank on the subject has been set up.
The new survey will serve as an indicator of the evolution of general scientific knowledge in China through the use of quantitative analysis.
Specially designed for the Chinese population, it includes over 200 questions relating to fields such as radioactivity, nanometers and AIDS. According to the 1996 survey, the percentage of those possessing basic scientific knowledge was 0.2, while in 2001, the percentage had reached 1.4 percent.
A 1990 survey conducted in the United States indicated that 7 percent of the population has basic scientific knowledge.
The survey defines the public's awareness of scientific knowledge as "the understanding of basic scientific knowledge, scientific methods, and impacts of science and technology on society and individuals."
Li Daguang, head of the CISP project, said the popularization of scientific and technological achievements plays a significant role in the education of the population.
Quantitative and comparative analysis should be conducted to effectively monitor progress in the public's scientific awareness, according to Li.
Developed countries such as the United States, Japan and Canada conduct research on the scientific awareness of the public on a regular basis.
The United States, for example, has carried out similar surveys every two years since 1972, and statistics concerning the scientific awareness of the British people date back over 170 years.
Surveys on the scientific awareness of the Chinese public are expected to facilitate policy-making in fields such as science, technology and education. They will also be taken into consideration in the overall national development plan and in the formulation of macroeconomic strategies, said CISP sources.
(China Daily December 2, 2002)
