Nobel Prize to blame?

Science skepticism very high in Austria

According to EU surveys, this phenomenon is particularly pronounced in Austria, but also in Germany.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, stock.adobe.com)

Compared to the past, Austrians are less interested in science and research. Paradoxically, this could also be due to the recent Nobel Prize awards.

The starting point for the initiative for an annual survey of public opinion was the increased skepticism shown towards representatives of science and research in Austria, particularly in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic or in discussions about climate change. According to EU surveys, the phenomenon is particularly pronounced in Austria, but also in Germany. The "Barometer" survey is conducted by the Gallup Institute among 1,500 people who are intended to represent the population as a whole as accurately as possible.

The proportion of people who trust science "strongly" or "very strongly" is 73%, according to the "Science Barometer" of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). This is the same figure that was also reported in 2023, as the Austrian Academy of Sciences announced on Friday.

(Bild: photo by drazen zigic stock.adobe)

Trust in Germany lower
If you look at the new Austro data collected in the fall, there are certainly differences to Germany, where a comparable study was also recently carried out: In Germany, for example, the group of "strongly" or "very strongly" trusting people is significantly smaller than here at 55 percent. The group of those who have little or no trust in science and research includes five percent in Austria, but nine percent in Germany.

Around one third in both Austria and Germany feel that they are really well informed about the subject matter. However, 28% of Austrians (17% in Germany) feel that they are poorly informed.

Slight drop in interest
When it comes to the proportion of people who stated that they had little or no interest in scientific subjects, the proportion of people who said they had little or no interest at all has increased slightly since the Science Barometer was first conducted in 2022, from 13% to 16% this year. Two years ago, 25% were still "very interested", but this year only exactly one fifth of respondents reported this.

The opinion researchers responsible for the study interpret this slight decline as a result of the much greater attention paid to science during the pandemic, which will be even more present in 2022. Austria also missed out on the Nobel Prizes this year. In comparison: researchers with an Austrian connection were able to win the coveted awards in the field of physics in both 2022 and 2023 - before that, there was a decades-long dry spell in the natural sciences.

Head of the Austrian Academy of Sciences: "Three quarters trust us, we have to fight for a quarter"
 Statements that the public should be informed more about science and research are frequently affirmed. "More than half of the Austrian population has a high desire for information about science. A well-assessed level of information improves acceptance and trust in a topic," says Andrea Fronaschütz, Managing Director of Gallup Austria. Approval is even higher for scientists who do a good job of explaining their work and scientific contexts.

"Three quarters trust science, we have to fight for a quarter," ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann is quoted as saying in a press release. The survey also revealed: "People in Austria want more science communication."

AI by no means a topic close to the hearts of Austrians
This also becomes clear when looking at the currently supposedly omnipresent topic of artificial intelligence (AI). Here, 15 percent state that they know too little about the topic to form an opinion. According to the survey, around a third of the population has a "rather" or "very negative" view of AI.