Leiden University, The Netherlands; Luris, The Netherlands.
Inspectorate SZW, The Netherlands.
Public Underst Sci. 2020 Jan;29(1):37-52. doi: 10.1177/0963662519878988. Epub 2019 Oct 8.
Understanding attitudes towards science is crucial to safeguard the future of science, the application of its results and the inclusivity of decision-making processes related to science and technology. Most studies focus on attributes of social groups to explain attitudes towards science. In this study, we aim to move the discussion forward by focusing on perceived attributes of science itself by analysing over 300 letters to the editor in two Dutch national newspapers. The authors of these letters express a large degree of trust in science as a source of societal progress, if research is conducted according to a specific set of rules. Yet, they believe that these rules are under attack. The interests of universities as organizations and individual academics as well as the involvement of industry and government in research are perceived as conflicting with these rules. We conclude with recommendations for further research and practice.
理解人们对科学的态度对于保障科学的未来、科学成果的应用以及与科学技术相关的决策过程的包容性至关重要。大多数研究都侧重于社会群体的属性，以解释人们对科学的态度。在这项研究中，我们旨在通过分析两份荷兰全国性报纸上的 300 多封读者来信，将讨论向前推进，重点关注人们对科学本身的感知属性。如果研究符合特定的一套规则，这些信件的作者表示对科学作为社会进步的源泉有很大程度的信任。然而，他们认为这些规则正受到攻击。大学作为组织的利益、个体学者的利益以及工业界和政府在研究中的参与，被认为与这些规则相冲突。我们最后提出了进一步研究和实践的建议。
