This article is sponsored by 3M.
It might feel like there are more science skeptics than science enthusiasts in the world, especially if you spend a lot of time on social media. 3M’s 2019 State of Science Index (SOSI) survey has conflicting results. After surveying 14,025 people from 14 developed and emerging countries, 3M found that, while one in three people are skeptical of science, there’s also a lot of excitement about scientific innovation.
Questions included in the State of Science Index ranged from how people feel about scientific and technological innovations like robots and self-driving cars to how science affects their daily lives. Of the skeptics, 31 percent responded that their lives would be no different if science didn’t exist and 40 percent said they think science is boring.
But the survey also reveals a healthy curiosity about science.
Seventy percent of respondents in Brazil believe science is very important to their everyday lives, and 73 percent of people in China said they would be more likely to choose a science-based career if they could go back in time.
When it comes to education, folks in South Africa encourage kids to pursue a career in science, and people in Germany support continuing to understand science as an adult. Finally, respondents in Singapore are more likely to believe everyone should understand basic science, regardless of their profession.
Skeptics and enthusiasts both benefit from science being more approachable and relatable. As 3M concludes, science needs advocates.
One such advocate is The Climate Museum in New York City, which is the first in the U.S. devoted completely to climate change. In the fall of 2018, the museum installed a public art installation called Climate Signals, consisting of 10 solar-powered highway signs in parks and other public spaces flashing climate change alerts in five languages. The messages included: climate change at work, fossil fueling inequality, and alt facts end now.
The museum also holds a variety of events including Ask a Scientist Day, where climate science experts set up shop in various neighborhoods, including Rockaway, Queens, a community hit by the Hurricane Sandy, the deadliest of the 2012 hurricane season, and one that grapples with the dangers of climate change every day.
This article is sponsored by 3M.