University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Université de Fribourg, Switzerland.
Public Underst Sci. 2019 Aug;28(6):652-668. doi: 10.1177/0963662519852020. Epub 2019 Jun 6.
Driven by the proliferation of digital media, citizen science - the involvement of non-scientists in scientific research - represents one of the most important recent developments in science communication as it brings science and the public closer together. So far, however, citizen science projects have mostly attracted people that are highly educated, mostly male and already have very positive attitudes towards science. Based on nationally representative survey data ( = 1051), our study explores the potential of citizen science in Switzerland. Using regression analysis, we show that attitudes towards science are significant antecedents of respondents' interest in participating in citizen science - but that gender and education are not. In addition, latent class analysis identifies five segments, representing over one-third of the Swiss population, who are interested in citizen science and could potentially be engaged: 'Free-Timers', 'Senior Sciencephiles', 'Young Sciencephiles', 'Intrigued Adolescents' and 'Fully Employed Parents'. Additional description suggests that previously overlooked segments are best addressed online via YouTube or offline in zoos or botanical gardens. Overall, our analysis suggests that citizen science's potential is far higher than previous projects were able to realize.
受数字媒体的普及的推动，公民科学——非科学家参与科学研究——代表了科学传播中最近最重要的发展之一，因为它使科学和公众更加紧密地联系在一起。然而，到目前为止，公民科学项目主要吸引了那些受过高等教育、大多数是男性且对科学持非常积极态度的人。基于全国代表性调查数据（n=1051），我们的研究探讨了公民科学在瑞士的潜力。通过回归分析，我们表明，对科学的态度是受访者参与公民科学兴趣的重要前因——但性别和教育不是。此外，潜在类别分析确定了五个代表超过三分之一瑞士人口的感兴趣的公民科学并可能参与的群体：“自由时间者”、“高级科学爱好者”、“年轻科学爱好者”、“好奇的青少年”和“全职父母”。更多的描述表明，以前被忽视的群体最好通过 YouTube 在线或在动物园或植物园离线来吸引。总的来说，我们的分析表明，公民科学的潜力远远高于以前的项目所能实现的。
