Canada's science culture strong but majority of Canadians lack science literacy

25 years since last survey

Canadians possess positive attitudes towards science and technology and engagement in science culture but a majority of the population lacks a basic level of science literacy. Those are the seemingly contradictory findings contained in an expert panel report that examines the current state of science culture — the first such report in 25 years.

Conducted by an expert panel struck by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) and headed by Dr Arthur Carty, the report — Science Culture: Where Canada Stands — found that "Canadians exhibit a high level of engagement with science and technology relative to citizens of other countries". Canada ranks first on the question with 93% of respondents "reporting being either very or moderately interested in new scientific discoveries and technological developments".

The report was commissioned by the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corp in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada and Industry Canada. It states that the impetus for the study was driven by the role science culture plays in maintaining Canada's strengths in S&T, as well as concerns that Canada is lagging behind its peers in terms of a deeply embedded science culture.

The panel's core findings are based on an extensive survey of more than 2,000 Canadians, which allow for comparisons to a previous survey conducted in 1989. The survey yielded 19 indicators in four broad categories — public attitudes towards S&T, public science engagement, public science knowledge and S&T skills. They collectively reveal the strong affinity Canadians have for S&T issues and the promise science holds for society. They also indicate that Canadians have a relatively low level of concern over contentious issues or "disruptive aspects" of S&T such as nuclear power and biotechnology.

"The survey provides a comprehensive picture of the state of science culture in Canada … For a lot of people on the panel, it came as a surprise that Canada's science culture was so strong," says Carty, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, former president of the National Research Council and former National Science Advisor. "We also didn't realize there was such a large gap since the last survey was conducted … We need at least three of these taken every five years to be able to come to some conclusions."

Among the findings, 76% of respondents agreed that government should support scientific research even if it provides no immediate benefits. The report indicates hat provincial governments have shown a high level of support for activities, institutions and facilities aimed at boosting science culture. In contrast, the track record of the federal government appears to be relatively weak.

"We need a set of strategies that could be adopted to strengthen our science culture but that requires federal and provincial leadership and we haven't had that at the national or industrial level," he says. "The remit of the panel and the charge from its sponsors meant we had to limit our examination. We did not look at science policy frameworks and the formal education system was also not part of our mandate."

While a minority of respondents said they attended public meetings or debates, signed petitions or participated in organizations dealing with S&T-related issues, their ranking among peer nations was extremely high. Even Canada's low science literacy rate (42%) was enough to place it first among 35 countries, ahead of Sweden which placed second with 35%.

"Even though the survey results on science literacy puts us at the top, there are 58% of Canadians that are not science literate," says Carty. "There's a disconnect."

The panel also looked at Canada's performance in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing, graduation rates and the percentage of students who study science and engineering. While Canada ranks first among the OECD in education attainment, the country's performance in science and engineering graduates is relatively low.

The panel discovered, however, that of those holding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees, 51% are immigrants. It also found that 49% of natural sciences graduates are women with 23% of engineering degrees held by women.

"It's the changing face of Canada," says Carty.

The panel observed that Canada's support system for science culture is dynamic, with new initiatives, programs and institutions falling by the wayside while new entities emerge to take their place. It identified more than 700 programs or organizations including 64 non-governmental organizations, 49 educational initiatives, 60 government policies and programs and 27 media programs.

R$