Ciência, sociedade, divulgação científica: a visão dos cientistas

Abstract

The present work aims to study the relationship between scientists and the public, focusing on their perceptions, opinions, and attitudes towards public communication of science. A classification of scientists was proposed based on their perceptions, and opinions about science communication among Brazilian scientists was identified. Data was collected through an online questionnaire applied to productivity fellowship recipients from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), followed by data analysis. The results show that most Brazilian scientists have positive perceptions regarding science communication, but still engage in this activity little. The most common scientific communication activities among Brazilian scientists are the publication of articles in newspapers and magazines with a large circulation. Analyses were carried out relating the respondents' activity with the variables gender, geographic region, major knowledge area, and PQ fellowship category. The model was adjusted considering the influence of covariates, and among them an important influence of gender, the scientist's field of study and age was found. Through Latent Class Analysis, three classes of scientists were identified according to their perceptions about scientific communication and science and technology policy management: Engaged-Democrat Class, Informative-Democrat Class and Informative-Technocrat Class. The Engaged-Democrat Class is more favorable to democratic and participatory management of science and technology and to dialogic scientific communication. The Informative-Democrat Class is also favorable to democratic governance, but its opinions on scientific communication are closer to an informative model. The Informative-Technocrat Class advocates for a science and technology management led by experts and is critical of the possibility of popular participation, in addition to being cautious about the role of dialogue in scientific communication. It is concluded that perceptions about how to make decisions about science and technology and the model of public communication of science are correlated, and that scientists have more favorable opinions towards greater democracy in decision-making than to a more dialogic communication, in two-way and on equal footing with the public.