science communication

The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) has produced a report that compiles the results of a pioneering survey in the country on populist attitudes related to science. The research explores, among other issues, the consumption of scientific information, public perceptions of the role of science in politics and society, the benefits of science, attitudes towards technologies such as vaccines and issues such as climate change.

An international study on public trust in science conducted in 68 countries, including Spain, has found that most people trust scientists and believe that they should be more involved in society and in policy-making. In addition, a majority of survey participants believe that researchers should play a more active role in society and in political decision-making. The Spanish population's confidence in science ranks seventh out of the 68 countries analysed. The research, which surveyed 71,922 people, provides the largest global data set on trust in scientists since the covid-19 pandemic. The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour and has Spanish participation, led by FECYT.

The report 'Experiences of researchers who interact with the media and social networks in Spain', carried out by FECYT’s Science Media Centre Spain (SMC) in collaboration with the research group Gureiker, from the University of the Basque Country, analyses data from a survey, the first of its kind in Spain, on the relationship with the media and social networks of the expert sources contacted by the SMC Spain from March 2022 to July 2024. The results show that scientists have a positive or very positive perception of their participation in the media (83.12%). However, 51.05% of respondents admit to having suffered an attack after communicating science. Women receive significantly more attacks than men: 56.86% of female scientists report attacks compared to 46.21% of male scientists. The social network X (formerly Twitter) is the most common avenue for this type of attack. 

The devastating floods in Valencia have reminded us of the crucial role of language in journalism: in the maelstrom of information following the catastrophe, numerous articles have resorted to the expression “natural disaster”, as if the tragedy were a sort of inescapable sentence dictated by nature. The idea that nature acts with intent or malice in causing suffering is a concept that distorts our understanding of these events.

Yes, I claim that we can believe that praying works. There are a number of artefacts, let's call them traps or biases, that make it easier for us to do so. I will introduce them with the help of a joking example that serves to explain how a scientific study should be designed to be rigorous, but also to understand what limitations we should look for when reading a paper.