"Gap" between European North and South in technological information
Yet, only one in three Greeks (32%) feels that they are informed about developments in science and technology, a percentage below the average of Europeans, who at 40% state that they are adequately informed.
According to the latest relevant Eurobarometer survey for 2013, which was conducted in all 28 member countries of the European Union, the Swedes are most interested and the best informed about technological developments with 77%, the Danes with 65%, the Balkans with the worst (Bulgaria and Romania with 25%), while information is somewhat better in Cyprus (37%).
Just over half of Europeans, specifically 53%, say they are interested in science and technology, a percentage that is up 8% since 2011.
The above data show that European citizens are showing an increasing interest in scientific and technological developments, both because they have gradually become more familiar with these issues, and because they understand the great special importance that the science and technology sector has for the development of a country and the everyday lives of people.
The "Eurobarometer" reveals yet another "gap" between the inhabitants of N.W. Europe and those of S.E. Europe, in terms of both their knowledge and their interest in these issues. It is no coincidence that most innovations originate from the group of Nordic countries.
The survey also reveals that the less informed a country's residents are about these issues, the more indifferent they are to whether there will be a relevant public debate and whether they themselves will be involved in decisions on scientific and technological issues, which have various impacts (social, economic, health, etc.). Thus, in countries such as Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, etc. the majority of citizens state that they do not need to intervene in relevant decisions.
At a pan-European level, however, the majority (55%) call for a public debate on scientific and technological issues.
In fact, when asked whether “we are now relying too much on science and not enough on (religious) faith,” the more traditional Mediterranean countries show higher levels of agreement than the northern ones. At a European level, 39% of citizens agree, 32% disagree and 25% are neutral (the lower the educational level of a European, the more likely they are to agree that faith has been overtaken by science).
On the same wavelength, almost two in three Europeans (62%) are concerned that “science is changing our lives too quickly.” On the other hand, the vast majority (77%) believe that science and technology have a positive impact on society, making our lives easier, more comfortable, healthier and with more opportunities for future generations.
Most Europeans agree that an interest in science and technology improves young people's job prospects (59%), their culture (72%) and their ability to act as informed and responsible citizens (68%). However, two out of three Europeans (65%) believe that their government does too little to stimulate young people's interest in science. In Greece, the corresponding figure is 78%, the second highest in the EU after Spain (83%).
The most frequent source of information on scientific and technological issues is television (65%), followed by the internet (35%) and newspapers (33%). 47% of people in the EU declare that they have acquired knowledge of science and technology in secondary or tertiary education (in Greece the corresponding percentage is 51%: specifically, 33% in high school, 16% in university and college and 2% elsewhere).
The "Eurobarometer" survey was funded by the EU's 7th Framework Programme for Research, as the European Commission's central goal is for more and more Europeans to become personally involved in science, research and innovation, in an increasingly productive, but also socially responsible direction.
Source: protothema.gr
