Public opinion poll. The scientific community is not independent of more than a third of the French, according to Metric
Half of French respondents believe that science is the only reliable source of information about the world, according to a “critical thinking measure” produced by Opinionway* for Universcience, in partnership with franceinfo.
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The scientific community is not independent of 35% of the French, a figure five points lower than in 2022, according to a “critical thinking barometer” produced by Opinionway* for Universcience, the public institution that brings together the Palais de la Découverte and the Cité des Sciences, in partnership with franceinfo , and published on Thursday, March 23rd.
According to this study, the French appear to be divided in their relationship to science. For example, 51% of the French answered positively to the question of whether science is the only reliable source of information about the world, which is a stable figure compared to 2022. For 48% of them, the scientific community is independent while for 35% it is not. Moreover, for more than one in two French people (58%), scientific theories are just that “Theories like no other”.
80% say they are “willing to change their mind for good reasons”.
When also asked about the sources of information they trust on the climate issue, scientists specializing in this topic come first, with 42% of the respondents trusting the majority of these sources, while 39% only trust “some”. Follow museums and scientific culture centers (35% trust most of them and 38% trust some). On the other hand, 10% of French people trust the majority of political figures and influencers to inform them about the climate issue.
And in terms of the extrovert mentality of the French, 80% of them are self-explanatory “Willing to change their mind on the basis of compelling reasons”a number down six points from 2022, while 69% say “to consult many different opinions before forming my own”a figure that has decreased by 12 points compared to 2022. Finally, half of the French (50%) prefer to chat with people who do not think like them (1 point).
*This survey was conducted from 16th to 25th January among 2,048 people who make up a representative sample of the French population. The quota method has been applied.
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