SOSI also examines the respondents' attitudes towards science itself and confirms the enormous social relevance of credible science communication for Germany. For the extensive study, the global research company Ipsos surveyed around 17,000 participants in a total of 17 countries.
Around four fifths of the Germans surveyed trust science or scientists.
The values are therefore slightly below the global average, but remain at a consistently high level over the past few years. At the same time, 39 percent of Germans agree that science is very important for their everyday life. More people in Germany share this view today than before the pandemic (30 percent), although the value is still lower than the global average of 56* percent.
Germans distrust social media as a news source
For Germans, the credibility of scientific information depends heavily on the respective medium. 76 percent of those surveyed trust scientific facts published in traditional media. If social media is the source, the figure for Germany is only 26 percent and worldwide it is 44 percent.
Regardless of the topic of reporting, 62 percent of Germans believe that disinformation is widespread in traditional news in print and online media, radio and television. On social media channels, 91 percent even assume this - so the discrepancy in trust in the different media channels in Germany is significantly greater than the global average. Globally, 72 percent of those surveyed fear disinformation in traditional news; when it comes to social media, the figure is 85 percent.
3M and ONA promote reliable science communication
To combat the impact of disinformation in the media, 3M is partnering with the Online News Association (ONA), the world's largest digital journalism association. 3M provides ONA with funding to independently develop toolkits and training to inspire and support journalists as they speak to their audiences about science and disinformation.
For 3M as a science-based company, science itself and its credibility are fundamental. “In Germany, too, people count on reliable scientific information with a view to the crucial social tasks of our time and the demand for sustainability,” explains Camila Cruz Durlacher, Vice President responsible for 3M research and development activities in EMEA. “That is why we see scientific knowledge not only as an essential basis for progress in technological and social fields. We have also been supporting trustworthy and diverse voices in science for years. In doing so, we promote well-founded, goal-oriented discourse and make a constructive contribution to solving our most pressing problems.”
Respondents fear that fake news will divide society
Around three quarters of German SOSI respondents expect negative consequences if science is not valued enough. When it comes to unbelievable news on scientific topics, 58 percent also fear a greater division in society, 52 percent expect further crises in the area of general health and 51 percent that the consequences of climate change will worsen. This information confirms the high relevance of reliable scientific information for society.
The influence of science in everyday life is hardly present for Germans
Only 20 percent of Germans surveyed said they thought much about the impact of science on their everyday lives. On average worldwide, this number is twice as high. At the same time, 74 percent of Germans would like to find out more about scientists and their work. Although this value is lower than the 83 percent at the global level, the great interest still offers considerable potential for science communication.
Germans feel directly affected by climate change
Aside from the Covid-19 pandemic, Germans primarily hope that science will provide solutions to environmental issues, such as the consequences of climate change (58 percent), availability of clean water (55 percent) and equal access to high-quality healthcare (50 percent). A good three quarters of the Germans surveyed fear that they or close friends or relatives will have to move in the future in order to avoid extreme weather situations caused by climate change. Overall, respondents in Germany have become more concerned about environmental issues such as plastic pollution in the oceans, increasing natural disasters and climate change in general. This is also reflected in everyday life: Germans are more committed to many environmental protection issues than the global average, for example with regard to recycling, avoiding plastic or purchasing sustainable products.
Future technologies arouse interest, but above all skepticism
The vast majority of Germans surveyed, 84 percent, assume that people need to rely more and more on scientific findings. However, Germans do not embrace every new technology with enthusiasm. Only 56 percent consider it likely or very likely that they would accept the offer to travel in a self-driving car without a human driver - the global average is significantly higher at 71 percent. The reluctance to venture into space is even more pronounced. Only three out of ten Germans describe it as likely or very likely that they would travel into space if this option were generally available. This means that the values for Germany are among the lowest in a comparison of all countries taken into account. The global average is 52 percent. Almost a third of respondents fear that artificial intelligence will endanger their jobs in the next five years - a concern shared by almost half of those surveyed globally.
The German results differ particularly strongly with regard to the future reputation of science. While 53 percent worldwide believe that they will value science more within the next five years than they do now, in Germany the figure is only 27 percent.
About the State of Science Index
The 3M State of Science Index is an annual study conducted on behalf of 3M by global research firm Ipsos. The population in 17 countries is surveyed. Now in its fifth year, the survey tracks the public image of science and reveals long-term trends in how much people trust, respect and value science and the role it plays in their lives. For more information about the 2022 State of Science Index results, visit 3M.com/ScienceIndex
*Data based on global average of 17 countries
Also read: Disinformation as a war tactic – how we protect ourselves from fake news
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )