文章基本信息

标题：Positive but not uncritical: Perceptions of science and technology amongst South African online users
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作者：Lars Guenther ; Anne Reif ; Monika Taddicken 等
期刊名称：South African Journal of Science
印刷版ISSN：0038-2353
电子版ISSN：1996-7489
出版年度：2022
卷号：118
期号：9-10
页码：1-8
DOI：10.17159/sajs.2022/11102
语种：English
出版社：The Foundation for Research Development
摘要：Public perceptions of science and technology (S&T) have been measured globally since the 1970s. While there are initial findings for South Africans’ general and specific perceptions of S&T, we aimed to give an update on those perceptions, and account for the recent rise of digital media and broad public discussions on S&T-related issues (e.g. COVID-19) that might have affected public perceptions of S&T. We conducted an online survey with a sample of South African online users, quoted for sociodemographic characteristics, in November/December 2020 (n=1624). The findings show that, even with the rise of digital media and during the pandemic, a majority of respondents in this sample agreed that S&T holds promise, and they supported governmental funding of science. However, some reservations persisted. Gender and education did not affect these attitudes. It was rather age, location, degree of religiosity, interest, knowledge, use of sources of information, online engagement, and trust in science that were linked with these attitudes. In this sample, agreement to public funding of science correlated with beliefs in the promises associated with S&T as well as with having reservations about S&T.
关键词：perceptions of science;technology;promises;reservations;sources of scientific information;South Africa;online survey