From gene editing to space exploration, Spain is the country most optimistic about its environment in scientific progress | Sciences

Spaniards welcome the fruits of science, even though they feel that their country contributes little to global scientific progress. Developments such as gene editing, supercomputers or space colonization are viewed more optimistically in Spain than in surrounding countries. This is what came out of the 2024 Scientific Culture Study of the Department of Social Studies and Public Opinion at the university. BBVA Foundation. The study was conducted in 15 European countries and three other countries with a differential nature…

Spaniards welcome the fruits of science, even though they feel that their country contributes little to global scientific progress. Developments such as gene editing, supercomputers or space colonization are viewed more optimistically in Spain than in surrounding countries. This is what came out of the 2024 Scientific Culture Study of the Department of Social Studies and Public Opinion at the university. BBVA Foundation. The study was conducted in 15 European countries and three other countries with differential characteristics: the United States, Israel and Turkey. This is consistent with what was indicated in previous editions.

In Spain, the population's confidence in science is higher than the European average (7.6 compared to 7.1 out of 10). But the differences are more noticeable when we get down to the finer details. Space colonization is viewed favorably by 52% of Spaniards, a percentage significantly higher than the European average (35%) or even the country that leads space exploration worldwide, the United States, at 42%. Optimism is greater when talking about supercomputers. 75% of Spaniards believe that these technologies will improve our lives, compared to the European average of 63% or the US average of 62%. Biotechnology, solar energy, genetic editing, space exploration… Spain is the most optimistic country in embracing most of these technologies. of the changes analyzed.

The study paints a mechanistic picture of a person who typically trusts science. In Spain, it would be someone young, educated and left-wing. Ideology has only a slight effect in Spain and Israel, and in the rest of the countries analyzed it has no clear effect. Age also has an effect, and in a more general way, with younger people being more likely to trust science in all countries than their elders. In Europe, gender is irrelevant, but it becomes a more important factor in Israel and Turkey, where men trust science more than women. Finally, the level of scientific culture rises with the level of studies completed by the population.

Spain also stands out in another section of the study, but at a low level: Spaniards are the citizens with the least trust in religion as an institution, with a value of 3.9. This reaches the average trust threshold in Eastern European countries (5.0), in Israel (5.6), and in Turkey (6.3). The European average confidence is less than five. This question is logical because in the other sections the doctrines of faith and scientific evidence contradict each other. Significant minorities in Eastern European countries and the United States believe that humans were created by God in more or less their current form. In Israel (56%) and Turkey (70%), the majority of respondents support this idea and reject the theory of evolution. In Western Europe the percentage drops to 22%, highlighting the case of Spain, where only 13% trust the literal words of the Bible more than those found in scientific treatises. In general, despite this, there is broad consensus that science and religion coexist without problems, and that science does not destroy religious beliefs.

The study also devotes several paragraphs to analyzing how conspiracy and post-truth, despite the hype, are residual phenomena. The report notes that “in a context in which some elites question the validity of scientific evidence and the media devotes their attention to the alleged crisis of rationality, the majority of citizens clearly recognize the central role of science as the most reliable source of knowledge.” .

The similarity that can be drawn between creationism and conspiracy goes beyond the fact that they are substitutes for scientific evidence. Both phenomena are based on the same psychological principle. In 2018, an article in the magazine Current biologyI found a relationship between them. “Both belief systems share a very strong cognitive bias that we know as teleological thinking,” noted the study's author, neuropsychologist Sebastien Deguise, from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland).

Does technology strip us of our humanity?

The BBVA study also analyzed the level of scientific literacy of the population, asking participants about 12 key concepts or concepts. The results reflect large differences between countries, with the level of knowledge being highest in Europe as a whole (average of 7.9 correct answers on a scale of 0 to 12) and the United States (7.8), while the level is lowest in Israel (6.4) and Turkey (5.2). Spaniards (7.6) are slightly below the European average. However, even in societies where the level of scientific knowledge is relatively low, the majority of citizens show a positive disposition toward science. In Spain, there is good regard for scientific development (67%) and technological development (74%), but not as much contribution (52%) to progress on a global scale in these topics. To put it in context, the European average is 57%, and the US average is 80%.

When talking about science, everything is positive, but things change a little when asking about technology, where progress is viewed with more skepticism. The agreement states that technology “makes our way of life change very quickly,” a view that is prominent in Turkey (7.5), less so in Europe (6.5) and Israel (6.4), and a moderate view in the United States (5.5). Opinions on dehumanization due to technology are divided (5.7 in Turkey, 5.1 in Europe and Israel), with the exception of the United States (4.6), where a majority disagrees with this assertion.

There are many data and graphs accompanying this study, but they all seem to boil down to one final number: 40%. It's the percentage of Europeans and Americans who say science creeps into their conversations somewhat or frequently. In 2012, only 15% of the population said the same. Since then, the pandemic, scientific advances and the spread of conspiracy theories have put the spotlight on science. They have brought scientific progress into the global conversation. On the agenda of political parties and the front pages of newspapers. And in discussions at the bar, family gatherings and the workplace.

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