1 / 2025 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 7
“ Trust in science remains stable ”
The Science Barometer has surveyed attitudes to science and research in Germany since 2014
The tenth issue of the Science Barometer was published in 2024 . In this interview , project manager , Bastian Kremer , from “ Dialogue with Science ” ( Wissenschaft im Dialog , WiD ) talks about what the public thinks about science and what has changed in recent years .
The latest Science Barometer was published in November 2024 . What do you think are the most important findings ? Bastian Kremer : The simplest answer is certainly the main topic we have chosen : Scientific freedom and how it is perceived by the public . But I wouldn ’ t like to single out one result in particular . For me , the most exciting aspect is that having reached our tenth anniversary we can now follow developments over a longer time period .
SCIENCE BAROMETER
virus period we observed a slight increase in the level of trust in science , i . e . from 2020 to 2022 . This is contrary to perceptions of the public debate at the time .
For this reason , we cannot support the claim that there is an impending crisis of confidence in science and research – on the contrary : We saw a slightly higher degree of confidence over the coronavirus period and are now back to the pre-coronavirus level . Interest in science and research has also remained stable , as has the assessment of to what extent science and research benefit people ’ s everyday lives or pose potential risks .
Another interesting result relates to the question of to what extent science influences politics ... Kremer : Yes , that ’ s right , we observed that 34 percent more people than ten years ago say that the degree of influence of science on politics is exactly right . In 2021 , when we last raised this question ,
Image : Wissenschaft im Dialog
Since 2014 , the Dialogue with Science Initiative ( Wissenschaft im Dialog , WiD ) has regularly collected representative pop ulation data on attitudes towards science and research in Germany for the Science Barometer . The Science Barometer indicates how public opinion on science and research is changing and what the population thinks about current issues . The survey has become an important seismograph for social developments and feelings in relation to science and research . The Leopoldina has been a WiD partner since 2014 . ■ MK
What can we learn from it ? Kremer : Most things have remained stable , for example trust in science and research . However , during the coronaan all-time high of 39 percent of those questioned said that it was just right . We are now back at a similar level to the period before the coronavirus pandemic .
Has there also been lasting change in other areas ? Kremer : The amount of people feeling they are up to date with the latest scientific and research news has increased . We have seen a slight upturn in this over the last ten years . We have seen as a whole that most people ’ s attitudes to science and research have remained stable over time , particularly with regard to trust , and are clearly crisis-proof .
And does the Barometer also indicate problems or irritations ? Kremer : Those questioned also felt that parties from the business world and politics had too much influence on science . Last year , we specifically asked respondents about “ scientific freedom ”, how like ly they thought it was that parties from the world of business and politics dictated what they were allowed to communicate . And here the level of concern was quite high . Between 55 and 60 percent of people thought it likely that influence was being exerted . However , this is not actually a reflection of the reality at research institutions , as other studies have shown .
What advice would you give with regard to science communication ? Kremer : One thing would be to counter this discrepancy , i . e . the difference between public perception and reality at research institutes in terms of possible influence . This means communicating even more transparently as to how and under what conditions scientific findings are arrived at and how and by whom research is funded in this country .
■ THE INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY MARCO KÖRNER