Covid raises public interest in research but getting the word across is a struggle, Chinese scientists say

A report on the impact of the pandemic found that researchers around the world attracted greater public attention

Chinese scientists have said there is a need for experienced researchers and effective communicators to take centre stage to relieve the pressure on them

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Young Chinese scientists also complained about the time pressures they faced. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:00pm, 23 Dec 2022

Chinese scientists say they find it challenging to communicate with the public and explain their work, according to a new report on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected scientific research in the face of increased public scrutiny.

“The pandemic underscored the vital importance of public trust in research,” the report published by Economist Impact and Elsevier, the world’s largest scientific literature publisher, said.

“A lesson that quickly emerged from the pandemic was that increased public attention on research does not necessarily translate into a greater public understanding of how research is conducted.”

Globally, nearly two-thirds of the 3,150 researchers surveyed said the pandemic had increased public attention and scrutiny of research, but only 40 per cent of them said Covid-19 would improve public understanding in the long run.

More than 55 per cent of Chinese researchers agreed that the public had paid more attention to research and the scientific process in the past three years.

While nearly half of the Chinese respondents said the increased awareness could bring social benefits, influence policy formulation and enhance research quality, they were also worried that the public did not sufficiently understand research and the way it was carried out.