Citizens' support for government spending on science and technology

Abstract

This paper analyses public support for government spending on science and technology (S&T) and its determinants. It constructs hypotheses based on previous findings from two streams of research: public preferences for government spending and public understanding of science. Using data from a large national survey in Spain, it develops multivariate models to test the relevance of various predictors of public support for government spending on S&T. Findings identify several variables that are clear and consistent predictors of public support for government spending on science and technology: the respondent's educational level, interest and participation in science, knowledge of science, and positive values and views of science and technology. However, the effects of other variables also related with general attitudes toward science are less clearly associated with support for government spending on S&T.

Reassessing the Variables Used to Measure Public Perceptions of Scientists

“…Public perceptions of scientists have received a great deal of attention in science communication literature (e.g., Besley, 2015; Tan et al, 2017). This attention stems from concerns about how these perceptions may affect voters’ support for research funding (Liu & Priest, 2009; Sanz-Menéndez et al, 2014), the ability to recruit diverse students to scientific careers (Lee, 1998; Scherz & Oren, 2006), and the extent to which citizens consider scientific research when making decisions (Brewer & Ley, 2011). Indeed, research has found that perceptions of scientists can influence perceptions a range of controversial topics, including cell research (Liu & Priest, 2009) and climate change (Hmielowski et al, 2014), among others.…”

The National Science Foundation’s science and technology survey and support for science funding, 2006–2014

“…The most cited of these studies appears to be research from the United Kingdom (Evans and Durant, 1995), although the subject was also addressed by Miller et al (1997) using data from the early 1990s for multiple countries, including the NSF’s earlier S&T survey of Americans. There have also been several recent studies on Spain based on a series of national science surveys, similar to those conducted by the NSF for the United States (Muñoz et al, 2012; Sanz-Menéndez et al, 2014; Sanz-Menéndez and Van Ryzin, 2013). The research by Miller and his colleagues (Miller et al, 1997; Miller and Pardo, 2000) from more than 20 years ago, however, appears to represent the recent substantive attempt to assess funding support in the United States.…”

“…Work on nanotechnology, in particular, has explored the relationship between various forms of media use and financial support for science (Ho et al, 2010, 2011). One recent Spanish study also included a measure of attendance at science museums and events and found a small, positive impact on support for science funding (Sanz-Menéndez et al, 2014). The US National Academy of Sciences has highlighted, in this regard, the important role that informal science environments, such as museums, S&T centers, zoos, and aquariums, can play in fostering support for science funding (National Research Council, 2009).…”

Public relations as science communication

“…Second, those who score higher on a 10-item battery of science knowledge questions are more likely to support research spending. Third, "those who believe that scientists are motivated primarily by altruistic purposes" are more likely to support government funding for research [5]. I would argue that all three of those variables are influenced by science communication efforts.…”