In Search of the Universal Dimensions of Public Perception of Science

Bibliographic Data

ID19450508
AuthorsValery Todorov (0000-0002-5249-5952, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, corresponding author), Kristina Petkova (0000-0002-4911-8232, Kristina Petkova is Professor at Institute of Sociology Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 13A Moskovska St., Sofi a 1000, Bulgaria., corresponding author), Martin W Bauer (0000-0002-0800-8133, Martin Bauer is Head of Methodology Institute and Director MSc Social & Public Communication at the London School of Economics, Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE., corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume14
Issue2
Pages331-347
Publication date2009-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Technology and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0971-7218 • E-ISSN: 0973-0796
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/097172180901400206
OpenAlexW2144596738
LanguageEN
References cited5

One possible way of solving the problem with the cross-cultural validity of the indicators of public understanding of science is analysis of the latent structure of sets of statements used in previous surveys. The factor analysis of eighteen statements from Eurobarometer 224 (2005) reveals three stable replicable latent dimensions—Evaluation, Efficacy and Control. The Efficacy dimension was replicated in the data of thirty-four countries participating in the survey. This dimension was not replicated only in Northern Ireland. The Control dimension was not replicated only in East Germany, Turkey and Norway. It is shown that the Evaluation and Efficacy dimension correlate and form new second-order dimension ‘Science is for others’ vs ‘Science is for us’

Eurobarometer · European union · Perception · Pure mathematics · Statistics · Survey data collection · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Computer Science · Cultural Differences and Values · Mathematics · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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