Technology Observed: Attitudes of a Wary Public

Abstract

Our analysis of the interviews with a sample of the California public about a range of their attitudes toward technology shows that a modification of our understanding of the collective state of mind on this subject is in order. The current assessment of the public as largely, and somewhat vacantly, enamored with science and technology does not hold. Nor does a picture of a public generally hostile and alienated by technology. Neither panglossian optimism nor prophecies of doom can be supported by these interviews. Rather a more mixed picture emerges. Out of that picture, a potential public can be isolated, whose mood it behooves science policy-makers to watch. This group tends to associate a number of related conditions with technological development; moreover, it is likely to make assessments on those relationships so perceived. To the degree this group has "anti-technological" feelings, these feelings are clearly linked to the group's awareness that the social consequences of technology can produce conditions which threaten important values. The particular distribution of age and political identification suggests that those who are young and who identify themselves as "liberal" form the core of potential opposition to technological development and that such opposition is at least in part a function of different value preferences. The associations between political identification and attitudes about technology, distrust of decision-making, and concern for environmental impacts all make this point. In short, "technological dissent" cannot be written off as anti-intellectual and without foundation. It is, in fact, preeminently sensible. What the alignments visible within the potential public portend for the future is not clear, although they do not allow us to accept an inference drawn from past studies—that because the young retain confidence in scientists and engineers all is well for the general climate of science and technology. We can only speculate whether, as these younger people grow older, they will carry their uneasiness about technology with them. Were they to do so, and were this group to be joined by still younger people who also hold these wary attitudes, the context of scientific and technological work could become much more fraught with political controversy. Another point emerging from our interpretation is how very crucial to continued free scientific inquiry is the distinction between scientific work and technological activities apparently now made by a sizable portion of the public. Should this distinction become lost, perhaps through continual merging of science's role with technology's by the popular press, attitudes now mainly associated with technology could spill over to scientific research as well. Yet our data also provide evidence of the successes of the scientific and technological communities. They have become such a critical part of life that people are seriously concerned with their future development. The opportunity is present for both communities to find ways of responding to the situation so that thoughtful action can be taken to implement technology for the benefit of the commonweal.

Energy Conservation and Attitudes Toward Technology

“…While national and regional surveys have found a generally positive regard for scientific and technological progress (Science Indicators, 1973;Taviss, 1972;LaPorte and Metlay, 1975), the complexity of attitudes toward technology is apparent in the low intercorrelations among various questions asked of the same individuals. Etzioni and Nunn (1974), in a major review of the quantitative research conducted in the last 20 years, concluded that the public was not of one mind about science and technology, and that the pattern of individual response to technology was not consistent with a single anti vs. protechnology dimension.…”

“…As in previous studies (particularly Taviss, 1972;Science Indicators, 1973;LaPorte and Metlay, 1975), respondents were asked to evaluate the benefits of science and technology, the rate of change they produce, and their potential for solving future problems. They were also asked to evaluate specific technological programs and policies, including space exploration, atomic energy, computers, automation, and advertising.…”

“…A recent survey of California residents found that one characteristic of those alienated from technology was their great concern for the pollution that often accompanies technological implementation, but it is not clear that this relationship would generalize to concern about resource consumption (seeLaPorte and Metlay, 1975).at University of Victoria on June 6, 2015 http://poq.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from…”

National Strategies for Technological Innovation

“…With a more sophisticated public perception of technology as a mixed blessing (Metlay, 1972;La Porte and Metlay, 1974), the once common view that &dquo;if it is technically possible, then it should be done&dquo; is being questioned in the developed countries. The parade of crises-energy, environment, food, resources-has become disquieting.…”

Value orientation of computer science students

“…With the single exception of La Porte and Metlay [13], systematic empirical research on values has not explored how technology is integrated with basic value orientations. This investigation attempts to examine the relationship betw^een technological and nontechnological orientations and.…”