Improving public understanding of science

Improving scientific literacy
Reducing scientific illiteracy

Implementation

China has 340 million households owning more than 300 million domestic TV sets. The CCTV broadcasts its daily scientific programme at 8pm, the peak viewing time, transmitting scientific knowledge with special channels, in an efforts to build up an " Information Expressway on the Air" between the science and the public.

Science centres are exhibition and activity centres devoted to explaining science to the general public. In 1999 it was estimated that there are about 1200 science centres in the world. The majority of these centres were opened in the last 20 years. Science centres are annually visited by > 180 million persons, an increase of 20 % over the past three years. In many countries, science centres and science museums are among the top tourist attractions.

Claim

Scientists advocating more communication of technical information to the public presume that information will lead citizens to see the risks the same way experts do; e.g. view low-probability risks as insignificant. Scholars who document the public's lack of knowledge about science also imply that improving scientific literacy will reduce disagreements between experts and citizens.