Scientists leave Irish cold, EU survey finds

Scientists make the Irish nervous, according to the latest EU Barometer report. They also seem to make the rest of the EU's citizens uncomfortable.

"Europeans, Science and Society" is the title of the Eurobarometer survey released yesterday in Brussels by EU research commissioner, Mr Philippe Busquin.

The Republic takes pride of place at the head of the table of sceptics, having the lowest regard for scientists of any EU state. About 23 per cent of respondents here find them an acceptable lot compared with an EU average of almost 45 per cent.

Another telling result was a list of scientific and technical developments found to be of interest to respondents. Interest here was remarkably lower in each category compared to the EU average except one - the Internet - where we matched the EU average.

Just over 37 per cent here expressed an interest in medical science compared with 60 per cent in the EU generally. The environment has 38 per cent of us on the edge of our seats compared to an EU average of 51 per cent.

Genetics intrigues about 10 per cent of us but the EU average is double this and even astronomy and space attract just 9.5 per cent of respondents compared to the EU average of 17.3 per cent.

The survey was conducted between May 10th and June 15th this year and involved 16,029 people in all EU states.

The respondents made a curate's egg of the scientific community generally, trusting them in some contexts and rejecting them in others.

The majority, 80 per cent, believe that "the authorities should formally oblige scientists to observe ethical rules". Yet they are divided on whether "scientists are responsible for the misuse of their discoveries by others", with as many agreeing with this as disagreeing.

Clearly the public are happy to have a scientist on hand should something bad happen. If there were a "disaster in your neighbourhood or district" the respondents would put most trust in the scientists (62 per cent) followed by doctors (55.3 per cent).

Nor when it came to pinning the blame for the mad cow affair did the heat fall first on the scientists. The respondents pointed the finger first at the agri-food industry (74.3 per cent), then at the politicians (68.6 per cent), the farmers (59.1 per cent) and finally the scientists (50.6 per cent).

The study was able to show that we have virtually no interest in attending science centres, at least when people were asked who had visited one. Just 4.1 per cent said they had attended compared to an EU average of 11.3 per cent.

The Barometer people might not have realised that visiting a dedicated science centre is difficult here - we don't have one.