Picture this: you’re at a family barbeque and your dodgy uncle – you know the one – comes out and says… “It’s freezing! Wouldn’t mind a bit of that global warming right about now!” You roll your eyes, bite your tongue and wait for the inevitable digs about vegetarians to come when the sausages are passed around.
In a social landscape that has only become more fractured over time – as our attention spans and comprehension of the big issues are eroded by platform after platform – science is seemingly less accessible than ever. The last two years have exposed just how much of the population is vulnerable to misinformation. It travels faster and further than the truth. And it’s often a problem of science communication.
When it comes to science as a broad discipline, however, most research over the last 30 years suggests that people are very supportive. “I think in Australia, at least, we’ve got a pretty good level of trust about science,” Dr Linden Ashcroft, lecturer, climate scientist and science communicator at the University of Melbourne, says. “Scientists are seen as good guys. They are seen as contributors and beneficial, positive members
