The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) released, on July 13, the data from the study of the Public Perception of Science and Technology in Brazil series, conducted by the Management and Strategic Studies Center (CGEE), a social organization supervised by the MCTI. The results were presented by Minister Aldo Rebelo, during an interview to the press at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC), which was held this year in the city of São Carlos, State of São Paulo.

The study notes that 61% of the interviewees showed interest for science and technology (S&T). The index is comparable to the averages of the countries that conducted a similar research. In the European Union, for instance, 53% stated they are interested in S&T subjects. In Brazil, it is the fifth most attractive theme for the population – it is behind Medicine and Health (78%), Environment (78%), Religion (75%) and Economy (68%). The interest in S&T is higher than that for Arts and Culture (57%), Sports (56%), Fashion (34%) and Politics (27%).

According to Minister Aldo Rebelo, the data will guide the positioning, the action and the public policies for the popularization of science and technology. (S&T). "We have a survey of our strengths and weaknesses related to S&T. There is an extremely positive expectation regarding the social function of the assessments and there are also serious data, such as the low level of information about scientific and technological actions and initiatives”, the minister said.

Society sees science as a generator of results applicable to their lives and able to solve problems. 73% of the interviewees stated that the scientific and technological activities bring more benefits than harm for the population. When compared to results of international polls, Brazil is a highlight as one of the most optimist countries regarding the benefits of the research and development activities. China has the same index as Brazil (73%), the United States (USA) has a 67% rate, and Spain has an average of 64%, followed by Italy (46%) and France (43%).

Despite the high interest shown by the Brazilians for S&T matters, the Research reveals they still have limited access to scientific and technological information. The majority declares they never or almost never catch up on S&T. Television is the medium used by 21% of the interviewees to gain knowledge about the research. The internet is already approaching that level, with 18%.

The president of SBPC, Helena Nader, and the president of CGEE, Mariano Laplane, positioned themselves regarding the role of media in the process of popularization of science. “The sections about science and technology are increasingly smaller, or ceasing to exist”, Laplane evaluated. “Oftentimes, the main highlights are the progress of science out of Brazil. Little is said about the achievements by our scientists and institutions. The communication vehicles, the government and the scientific community must engage in the task of popularizing our science to meet the expectations of our population."

According to Helena Nader, the data from the study show the need to reverse the picture regarding the recognition of institutions and the people. “Our science is evolving and it has an extremely important production, but these results are not featured. If we manage to break the barrier, making our scientific achievements appear on mainstream media, we will have more and more youngsters dreaming of being scientists instead of soccer players”, she said.

The interest in the theme by the Brazilians is reflected in the trust on researchers as credible sources of information.  The study measured the confidence index of ten professions. As in 2006 and 2010, the trust in scientists was the highest (0.89), ahead of the index of journalists (0.74) and doctors (0.7).

The visitation to scientific and cultural spaces, and the participation in public activities for science popularization, such as science fairs and Olympics, increased throughout the last decade. From 2006 to 2015, the participations in fairs and Olympics increased (from 13% to 21%), in activities of the National S&T Week (from 3% to 8%) and the visitations to S&T museums and centers (from 4% to 12%).

The study shows that Brazilians believe scientific research to be essential for the industry, that animal experimentation must be allowed according to the case, and S&T helps to decrease inequalities.

The research was based on a questionnaire with 105 questions, closed and opened. 1,692 interviews were conducted in the five regions of the country. This is the third study coordinated by MCTI and the fourth on a national level. In 1987, the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences (Mast/MCTI) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/MCTI) conducted the first national poll. The research support foundations of the States of São Paulo (Fapesp) and Minas Gerais (Fapemig) have financed local studies on the public perception of science and technology.