My first reaction to PAS 2025
When I read the latest report of the UKRI Public Attitudes to Science Study (the first wave since the COVID-19 pandemic), I was not surprised by the key findings but that did not stop me from also finding them frustrating and difficult to process emotionally. As a researcher working for the public good, embedded within a science organisation, I want to believe that my work has relevance and is trusted. Instead, the study tells a story of growing disconnection between science and research and the public which made me feel sad.
To summarise, the study found that while the public still value science, research and innovation, fewer people feel informed in today’s evolving media landscape. There is ambivalence around the impacts of science and reduced trust in scientists working for Government (down from 76% in 2019 to 69% in 2025).
My own context: My connectedness to science and science capital
From an early age, I was deeply interested in how the physical and natural world around me worked. Science touched my everyday life in so many ways such as:
- preparing and cooking food in my parents’ takeaway: For example, I used to butterfly king prawns which entailed carefully taking out the intestinal tract. We siblings got to know a lot about anatomy and food science!
- helping to grow vegetables on our allotment: fertilising crops with king prawn shells long before having a garden food composter was fashionable.
boiling tap water to drink: rooted in both traditional Chinese medicine and practical public health habits from Hong Kong.
- showing respect for scientists and scholars as people with wisdom and proven, testable knowledge.
- As a young adult I fell in love with social research – a scientific pursuit – and now work at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) which is a scientific and operational leader for protecting the UK communities against health threats.
All change: My children’s relationship with science
The PAS 2025 study states that younger people aged 16-24 years are more ambivalent about the role of science and are more negative about their experience of science at school than other age groups. Indeed, a third (32%) say school put them off science compared to 23% of adults overall .
Speaking to my youngest in Year 7, apart from specific topics he can relate to, he finds science boring and begrudges having to do thrice weekly AI enabled online science quizzes as a core part of his science education. Things may change in the future; his older sister has opted to take a few science subjects post-16 but she does not like the research methods elements which are core.
My children are extremely tech savvy, they confidently navigate Wi-Fi, apps and devices, often better than I do – but this is not the same as being connected to science. They show little interest in the people behind technological advancement, other than that some are Billionaires and are powerful beyond a safe point.
A smorgasbord of science communication
Across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and other platforms, we are consuming a great deal of short form content from a variety of sources (some of which are unchecked) that share over simplified tit-bits of knowledge and advice claiming to be based on scientific evidence ranging from misconceptions about vaccines to the belief that prolonged medical mask wearing causes CO2 toxication. It is no wonder that people feel less confident judging what is true.
What is more, only 27% of the public associate scientists with being good communicators. While we have famous scientists who are also great communicators such as Professor Hannah Fry, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Brian Cox, we need more ‘avengers to join the assemble’ across both traditional and social media, sharing compelling science stories in diverse and engaging ways. We need them to translate more of those complex yet relevant research papers and discoveries that sit behind academic journal paywalls into fun and engaging formats for lay audiences.
Knock down the ivory tower, humanize scientists and science
I am so grateful to be working within Government, using research and science to help us protect communities from external health threats such as disease and extreme weather events. I have access to some of the most talented researchers and innovative scientists whose work is done in service of the public good. I can see first-hand that they conduct themselves ethically (only 43% of the public associate ‘ethical’ with scientists) and that their work is designed to have societal impact. I can also relate to them on a human level but I also recognise that my access to this world is unusual. Many people, especially those from backgrounds like mine, do not have regular exposure to scientists or research environments.
I am the first to admit that both the Civil Service and science/research fields are not yet representative of the public. Only 27% believe scientists reflect society as a whole which makes it difficult to build trust. One of the new questions in PAS revealed that half (48%) of the public neither agreed nor disagreed that scientists “consider people like me” when designing their research. While 26% felt they did, a similar proportion (23%) disagreed. We need to do more to show how public voices shape scientific work. Within my team at UKHSA, we’re about to make a modest start to ring the changes with a public dialogue jointly commissioned with Sciencewise https://sciencewise.org.uk/ that will take to place later this year.
Additionally, the faith and experience questions in the PAS caught my attention because the results suggest among some sections of society, there is more scepticism about the value of science versus faith and personal experience: older people, those from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds and those with low science capital (science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and contacts).
If only they could see what I see. I come across scientists fuelled by curiosity and some have faith and personal experience which also help them to discover and innovate. There is a beautiful humanity to that which we should do more to share and give more attention.
Final reflections
This study has made me think a lot about how I can engage the public more deeply in science and research. As a practitioner within Government, I am keen to design research with more public involvement and citizen science, or more experiments may be a good way forward.
As a hiring manager, I will continue to hire in a way that is inclusive and seek to remove barriers to under representative groups applying for posts within my team. For example, removing a degree as an essential criterion was one step we made last summer and we can do more.
Similarly, as a trustee of the SRA, we will continue to encourage a diverse community and will do what we can to support the profession to develop skills that will humanise us and make research practice more engaging to the public. Story telling being one of those skills.
Link to the report: Chapter 1_What science means | Public Attitudes to Science