Science inspires the next generation
12 March 2010
School science is 'cool' again, according to a survey of public attitudes towards medical research funded by the Wellcome Trust. The finding contrasts with the widely held belief that young people are not interested in science subjects.
The Wellcome Trust Monitor, a unique survey of almost 1200 adults and 400 young people aged 14-18, explored awareness, interest, knowledge and attitudes relating to medical research and examined the latter group's attitudes to science education and careers. The release of the findings coincides with the launch of National Science and Engineering Week, which kicks off with the Big Bang school science fair in Manchester.
The survey, published by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found that 81 per cent of young people found science lessons interesting, with nearly a quarter describing them as very interesting. This compared to 69 per cent of adults who said they had found science lessons interesting when they were at school.
"These findings are very encouraging and challenge the view that young people are turned off by science," says Professor Derek Bell, Head of Education at the Wellcome Trust. "There has been a big push towards improving young people's experiences of science both inside and outside the classroom. It could be that these activities are beginning to pay off.
"It is early days and the survey shows that we cannot be complacent. We need to understand which groups want to study science and which don't, and how their educational experience affects this decision. We hope to do some follow-up work to examine these findings further"
Although the common perception may be that science at primary school is more interesting than in secondary school, this was contradicted by the survey's findings - 84 per cent of young people said they preferred science lessons at secondary school. Just over half (52 per cent) said that the chance to do experiments encouraged them to learn science.
The survey also showed that young people look favourably at science as a possible career choice. 44 per cent said they were interested in pursuing a career in science, with medicine, forensic science and engineering the most popular choices. Over a quarter (28 per cent) said they would consider studying science at higher education, with biology, medicine and chemistry the most popular subjects.
"The results of this survey are gratifying, following the efforts that have been made in recent years to ensure the science curriculum is both interesting to today's students and suitably challenging" said Roland Jackson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association. "Science is a creative and practical activity, and the interest of young people in experiments is noteworthy".
The report also reveals an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards medical research among the general public. Almost all respondents (95 per cent of adults; 93 per cent of young people) thought that medical research should be supported and encouraged, even if a lot of public money would need to be invested, though support was significantly higher for clinical research than it was for basic research.
However, despite such overt support for medical research, the Wellcome Trust Monitor highlighted a lack of clear understanding of the nature of the scientific process. When asked what it meant to study something scientifically, less than a quarter of adults or young people spontaneously identified theory construction or experiments and tests.
The survey also found a diverse range of attitudes towards alternative medicine, with 31 per cent of adults believing that homeopathy was more effective than or just as effective as medical treatments available from their own GP - this figure was higher for women and people in younger age groups.
"The Wellcome Trust Monitor paints an interesting picture of people's engagement with science and medical research," says Clare Matterson, Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust. "The public are clearly very supportive of medical research and take an interest in it. But despite this engagement, more needs to be done to improve scientific literacy and an understanding of what science means."
The Wellcome Trust Monitor is available online
