REPORT ON PUBLIC ATTITUDES
TOWARDS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
PREPARED FOR:
MINISTRY OF BUSINESS, INNOVATION & EMPLOYMENT
OCTOBER 2014
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CONTENTS 1. SUMMARY 5
2. BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY 15
2.1 Background 15
2.2 Research Objectives 15
2.3 Methodology 16
2.4 The Survey Process 16
2.5 Questionnaire Design 17
2.6 Sample Sources 17
2.7 Survey Timing 18
2.8 Survey Reliability 18
2.9 Quotas and Weighting 18
2.10 Sample Profile 19
2.11 Reporting Protocols and Interpretation of Results 21
3. ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 23
3.1 Introduction 23
3.2 Feelings about Science and Technology (the Emotive Dimension) 23
3.3 Understanding of Science and Technology (the Cognitive Dimension) 25
3.4 Interest in Science and Technology 28
3.5 Perceived Importance of Science and Technology 35
3.6 Other Attitudes to Science and Technology 46
3.7 Comparison of Attitudes with International Results 50
4. BEHAVIOURS RELATING TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 55
4.1 Introduction 55
4.2 Academic Engagement 55
4.3 Event or Attraction-based Engagement 57
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4.4 Community-based Engagement 59
4.5 Work-based Engagement 62
4.6 Media Engagement 64
5. LEVEL OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
76
5.1 Introduction 76
5.2 Amount of Information Received 76
5.3 How Well Informed about Science & Technology 79
5.4 Comparison with International Results 82
6. MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 88
6.1 Introduction 88
6.2 Attitudinal Index 92
6.3 Behavioural Index 93
6.4 Relationship between the Attitudinal Index and the Behavioural Index 94
6.5 Overall Engagement Index 95
6.6 Analysis of Overall Index Scores by Demographics & Attitudes to Life 96
7. SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS 101
7.1 Introduction – the 2010 Segmentation Model 101
7.2 Repeating the Segmentation Conducted in 2010 102
7.3 New Segmentation of 2014 Results 103
7.4 Profiling the 2014 Segments 103
7.5 Detailed Analysis of 2014 Segments by Survey Results 107
APPENDICES 116
1. Comparison of 2010 with 2014 Results 116
2. Comparison of 2014 Online and CATI Survey Results 120
3. Technical Description of the Weighting 133
4. Online Questionnaire 134
5. CATI Questionnaire 146
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SECTION 1 SUMMARY
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1. SUMMARY
Attitudes to Science and Technology
In general the New Zealand public aged 15 or more is strongly positive about science and technology with 79% agreeing that they enjoy finding out about new ideas in science and 84% agreeing that they enjoy finding out about new ideas in technology
Their interest in science and technology is also generally high, although only around four in ten are interested in learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science:
TOPIC AREA % WHO ARE INTERESTED
Developments in science 81%
Doing more science/ technology activities with your children/young people you spend time with
66%
Having your say on ethical issues around science 65%
Having your say on what scientific areas government should invest in 65%
Taking part in scientific projects of benefit to your community 63%
Learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science
41%
The three main reasons people expressed for being interested in developments in science included:
o Being interested in how science and technology can improve our society (52%)
o It feels good to hear about scientific and technological breakthroughs (44%)
o There are some great documentaries and articles in the media (37%)
By contrast, for the 18% of people who are not very or not at all interested in science developments, the
main reasons were:
o I'd rather leave it to the experts (31%)
o Other issues are more relevant to me (also 31%)
o It's just too complicated (25%)
While only 59% feel science is important in their daily life, there is strong support for people studying
and pursuing careers in science and technology:
TOPIC AREA % WHO PERCEIVE THE AREA AS IMPORTANT
Technology is an important subject for people to study at school 90%
Science is an important subject for people to study at school 90%
Knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities 84%
Science is a worthwhile career to pursue 83%
It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues 80%
Science is important in my daily life 59%
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A large proportion also feel science is important in a range of areas relating to improving society, the environment and the economy:
TOPIC AREA % WHO PERCEIVE THE AREA AS IMPORTANT
Science is important for improving human health 91%
Science is important for the preservation of New Zealand's environment 87%
NZ needs to develop its scientific & technology sector in order to enhance its international competitiveness
83%
Science is important for addressing key challenges affecting our society 82%
The government should fund scientific research even if we can't be sure of economic benefits
69%
However, the public’s understanding of science and technology is somewhat weaker, with 35% feeling that science and technology is too specialised for them to understand and 51% feeling that there is so much conflicting information about science that it is hard to know what to believe
In addition, six out of ten (62%) think scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think. Four in ten (39%) think Mātauranga Māori has a role in science; however 25% disagree
Attitudinal Index
We constructed an Index of Attitudes to Science and Technology with a range from 0 to 100. This Index gave an equal weighting to four dimensions of peoples’ attitudes: 1) their emotive attitudes (how much they like science and technology); 2) their cognitive understanding; 3) their interest in science and technology; and 4) the perceived importance of science and technology. How this Index was calculated is explained in more detail in Section 6.1
The overall Attitudinal Index score was 67 out of 100
This Index enabled us to cross-analyse attitudinal engagement with science and technology by demographics, with the following results:
Average Attitudinal Index 67
Attitudinal index above average
Have a postgraduate degree 75
Have some formal scientific training 74
Work in science, technology and IT 74
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 73
Work in education & training 73
A university graduate 70
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 70
Family with mainly school children 69
Aged 35 to 44 years 69 Attitudinal index below average
High school qualification only 63
Retired 63
Not working 63
No academic qualification 60
Those with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes,
people aged 34 to 44 and those in families with mainly school children are more likely to have an
above-average Attitudinal Index, as are those who work in the areas of science, technology and IT and
education & training. In contrast, those with lower levels of education, the retired and people not
working are more likely to have an Attitudinal Index that is significantly below the average result
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Compared with other recent international studies, New Zealanders’ attitudes to science and technology
compare quite favourably as shown in the following table which compares results where exactly the
same question was asked in the respective surveys:
MEASURE
NZ RESULTS
(CURRENT STUDY 2014)
UK RESULTS
(IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014)
EUROPEAN RESULTS
EUROBAROMETER 2013
Scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think (% agree)
62% 69% NA
NZ/the UK needs to develop its scientific & technology sector in order to enhance its international competitiveness (% agree)
83% 81% NA
Interested in developments in science (% very interested & fairly interested)
81% NA 53%
Level of Information Relating to Science
Almost half those surveyed (48%) feel they get about the right amount of information about science
these days. A slightly smaller proportion (42%) feel they get too little information, while only 7% feel
they get too much
Older/retired people, older people with no children, males and Pākehā/European people are more likely
to feel they get about the right amount of information about science these days. On the other hand,
females, those aged 25 to 34, people with no educational qualifications and Māori people are less likely
to feel they get the right amount of information
How Well Informed People Feel about Science
Public views on how well they are informed about developments in science are polarized – while 62%
feel well informed, 36% feel they are not well informed
Those working in science, technology and IT, with higher levels of education, some formal scientific
training, those with higher personal incomes and males are more likely to feel well informed about
developments in science and technology. By contrast, females, those with personal incomes of $20,000
to $40,000 per year, those not working and people with no educational qualifications are less likely to
feel well informed.
International Comparisons re Information Levels and Being Well Informed
New Zealanders’ perceived levels of information and feeling well informed compare favourably with
other recent international reports as shown in the next table which compares results where exactly the
same question was asked in the respective surveys:
MEASURE
NZ RESULTS
(CURRENT STUDY 2014)
UK RESULTS
(IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014)
EUROPEAN RESULTS
EUROBAROMETER 2013
Level of information received about science is about right (%)
48% 40% NA
Feel well informed about science (% very well and fairly well informed)
62% NA 40%
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Behaviours Relating to Science and Technology
We also asked about the activities people had undertaken in the last year relating to science and
technology, broken into five main areas as illustrated below:
Nine out of ten (92%) had engaged in an activity relating to science and technology in the last year,
most commonly via the media (87%)
The top ten activities they engaged in are shown below:
BEHAVIOURAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST YEAR
87%
63%
53%
51%
24%
MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
EVENT OR ATTRACTION BASED ENGAGEMENT
ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY BASED ENGAGEMENT
WORK BASED ENGAGEMENT
92%
ANY ACTIVITY
72%
56%
50%
46%
44%
44%
44%
34%
29%
29%
WATCHED A PROGRAMME WITH A SCIENTIFIC THEME ON TV
READ SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE/S IN NEWSPAPER/S OR MAGAZINE/S
VISITED A ZOO, AQUARIUM, MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM OR SCIENCE CENTRE AND CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE EXHIBITS
CONDUCTED PERSONAL RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF ON THE INTERNET REGARDING SCIENTIFIC TOPIC/S
DONATED MONEY TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH E.G. CANCER RESEARCH
VIEWED A VIDEO ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ONLINE
VISITED AN ONLINE NEWS SITE AND CHECKED OUT BREAKING NEWS ABOUT SCIENCE
LISTENED TO A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ON THE RADIO
HELPED A SCHOOL-AGE CHILD ON A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT
VISITED AN ATTRACTION WHERE SCIENCE IS PROFILED IN AN OUTDOOR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
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Other than the top ten activities depicted in the previous chart, activities conducted by less than 29% of
the population include:
o Academic engagement: Around a quarter have listened to a lecture on a scientific topic (26%)
or read a formal scientific paper (25%), while 19% have visited a school or university to learn
more about a technology or science topic and 19% have formally studied a scientific topic
o Media engagement: 21% have downloaded a science app, 20% have read or responded to a
blog on a scientific topic and 20% have discussed a scientific topic on social media
o Event-based engagement: 19% have attended a business or industry based event where the
uptake of science and technology is highlighted while 17% have attended or participated in a
science event
o Work-based engagement: 18% have created new science-based products or practices at
work while 15% have undertaken additional scientific training or education at work
o Community-based engagement: around one in six (16%) have taken part in a scientific
project or discussion within their community
Behavioural Index
We constructed a Behavioural Index with a range from 0 to 100. This Index gave an equal weighting to five dimensions of peoples’ activities: 1) Academic engagement; 2) Event or attraction-based engagement; 3) Work-based engagement; 4) Community-based engagement; and 5) Media engagement. How this Index was calculated is explained in more detail in Section 6.1
The total Behavioural Index score was 28 out of 100. This Index was skewed towards those conducting fewer activities. Indeed, a third of the population (33%) had Index ratings from 0 to 14 out of 100
This Index enabled us to cross-analyse behavioural engagement with science and technology in the last year by demographics, with the following results:
TOTAL: Average Behavioural Index 28
Behavioural index above average
Have some formal scientific training 40
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 39
Work in education & training 39
Have a postgraduate degree 39
Work in community services/ healthcare 36
Work in science, technology and IT 36
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 35
A university graduate 34
Work in construction/design/engineering 34
Work in farming 34 Behavioural index below average
Retired 20
No academic qualification 17
Not working 15
The Overall Index
The Attitudinal and Behavioural Indices were combined to form a single Overall Index, in a ratio of 40:60, on the theory that behaviour represents more involvement than just having positive attitudes
The Overall Index score was 43, and the Index scores had a fairly normal distribution (see Section 6.1)
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Again this Overall Index score enables cross-analysis by demographics as follows:
TOTAL: Overall index result 43
Overall index above average
Some formal scientific training 54
Post graduate degree 53
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 53
Work in education & training 53
Work in science, technology and IT 51
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 49
University graduate 49
Work in community services/ healthcare 48
Work in farming 48 Overall index below average
Retired 37
No academic qualification 34
Not working 34
Further analysis of Overall Index scores by demographics revealed:
There was little variation in the Overall Engagement Index by age except older people aged 55 or more are less engaged
Males are more engaged than females
Those living in families with mainly school age children are significantly more engaged while older singles or couples with no children at home are less engaged
There is a strong relationship between more academic qualifications and more engagement with science and technology and having some formal scientific training has a marked impact on being positive about science and technology
As personal and household income levels increase, engagement with science and technology increases
There were no statistically significant variations in the Engagement Index by ethnicity
Regional results for the Overall Engagement Index are all fairly similar to the overall result
Those living in rural areas including small towns of up to 200 people are more engaged with science and technology than other groups.
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We also examined the key attitudes to life of those who have relatively high compared with relatively low Overall Index ratings as shown in the chart below:
Those who agree that I need to do more formal study to advance my career have the highest Overall Index score (47). Segmenting the population Statistical analysis was used to segment the population in terms of their attitudes to science and technology, their behaviours relating to science and technology and their demographic characteristics. The names and sizes of the five different segments identified are shown below:
47
46
46
46
45
45
44
43
42
41
39
I NEED TO DO MORE FORMAL STUDY TO ADVANCE MY CAREER (N=1,048)
I AM AN ENVIRONMENTALIST AT HEART (N=1,724)
WE SHOULD MAKE SURE NZ KEEPS ITS MAORI CULTURE (N=1,898)
A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY IS A STRONG SOCIETY (N=2,011)
I AM VERY ATTRACTED TO NEW IDEAS (N=2,442)
I BELIEVE NZ IS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (N=1,570)
IT IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN NEW THINGS THROUGHOUT LIFE (N=2,775)
TOTAL
I AM ON A VERY TIGHT BUDGET (N=1,901)
EVERYTHING IN NZ IS CHANGING TOO FAST (N=842)
LIFE IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE FOR ME (N=890)
Only significant differences are shown above
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
31%
25%
19%
10%
15%
Penelope Public
Optimistic Oliver
Anxious Angela
Negative Nellie
Bunsen Burner Barry
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Each of these segments is profiled below:
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY (15% OF THE TOTAL)
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR DEMOGRAPHICS
• Strongly likely to enjoy science & technology • 57% are male
• Don’t find these areas difficult to understand • All age groups
• Very interested and more likely to find all scientific
areas important
• 25% are from a provincial city
• 79% have undertaken science activities at work• 25% have a post-grad
qualification
• 89% have engaged in some community based
activity
• 52% have some formal
scientific training
• 98% have attended a science event or attraction • Highest income levels
• 100% have some academic or media engagement
• 95% attracted to new ideas
TOTAL
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 81
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 67
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 72
KEY:
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER:
SIGNIFICANT LOWER :
PENELOPE PUBLIC (31% OF THE TOTAL)
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR DEMOGRAPHICS
• Many results in line with the total • 57% are female
• Attitudes are generally positive while activities
undertaken are less than the average• 37% aged 55 or more
• 90% enjoy finding out about new technologies • 26% have a Polytechnic
qualification• 85% interested in developments in science
• 55% find conflicting information confusing• Only 20% have any formal
scientific training
• Only 53% find science important in their daily life
• Have a strong belief in the importance of science
for society and the economy
• 97% have engaged in some media activity (77%
have watched scientific programmes on TV)
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLIC
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 66
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 21
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 39
KEY:
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER:
SIGNIFICANT LOWER :
OPTIMISTIC OLIVER (25% OF THE TOTAL)
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR DEMOGRAPHICS
• Very positive overall attitudes • 52% male/ 48% female
• Second only to Bunsen Burner Barry in activities
undertaken• All age ranges
• 93% enjoy finding out about new scientific ideas • 32% have some scientific training
• Interested in all aspects of science • Second highest income levels
• 79% find science important in their daily life
• Second in media engagement behind Bunsen
Burner Barry
• Highest agreement that NZ is heading in the right
direction (64%)
• 100% agree it is important to learn new things
throughout life
TOTALOPTIMISTIC
OLIVER
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 73
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 38
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 52
KEY:
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER:
SIGNIFICANT LOWER :
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In order to lift public engagement with science and technology we suggest that MBIE should target the
Optimistic Oliver and Penelope Public segments, together representing 56% of the population as these
represent groups who are relatively open to more engagement with science and technology. By contrast, the
Bunsen Burner Barry segment does not need convincing, and could be potentially enrolled as evangelists for
greater engagement. On the other hand, we believe the Anxious Annie and especially the Negative Nellie
group will be more difficult targets to convince.
ANXIOUS ANGELA (19% OF THE TOTAL)
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR DEMOGRAPHICS
• Only Negative Nellie is behind this group in attitudes
and behaviour• 56% are female
• Only 57% enjoy finding out about new scientific ideas • 37% aged 55 or more
• 48% find this area too specialised to understand • Only 10% live in a rural area
• 60% feel there is too much conflicting information
• They are not very interested and are less inclined to
find all areas are important
• 42% have a high school
qualification only
• Very low academic engagement (only 15%)• 88% have no formal scientific
training
• Only 48% believe New Zealand is heading in the right
direction
• 36% feel everything in NZ is changing too fast
TOTALANXIOUS ANGELA
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 56
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 8
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 28
KEY:
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER:
SIGNIFICANT LOWER :
NEGATIVE NELLIE (19% OF THE TOTAL)
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR DEMOGRAPHICS
• Very disengaged • 53% female/ 47% female
• No one in this group has engaged in any activities
relating to science and technology• 37% aged 55 or more
• Only 50% enjoy finding out about new scientific
ideas
• 26% have no academic
qualifications
• Only around a third want to have their say about
this area
• 93% have no formal scientific
training
• Only 63% feel science is a worthwhile career to
pursue
• 39% say life is a constant struggle
• Only 38% say NZ is heading in the right direction
TOTALNEGATIVE
NELLIE
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 54
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 0
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 22
KEY:
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER:
SIGNIFICANT LOWER :
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SECTION 2 BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
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2. BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
2.1 Background
The New Zealand government has identified that science, and the knowledge and innovation that flow from scientific progress, have a critical role in defining New Zealand’s future. Accordingly the government has developed a national strategic plan for science in society. The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor (PMCSA) will oversee the implementation of this plan. Accordingly, MBIE commissioned Nielsen to conduct benchmark research into public engagement with science and technology to enable monitoring over time. While Nielsen conducted three previous surveys on public attitudes to science in 2002, 2005 and 2010 for the previous Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MORST), the current survey has been re-designed to give a broader focus on engagement with science and technology. The 2014 survey recognises the multi-dimensional nature of engagement with science and technology and covers attitudinal engagement (emotive and cognitive) as well as behavioural engagement in a range of areas (academic, event or attraction-based, community-based, work-based and media engagement). There are two components to the research:
1. A quantitative survey which is the topic of the current report
2. A qualitative research phase to enable the Ministry to gain a deeper understanding of the attitudes of specific interest groups. The approach and scope of work will be based on the results from the quantitative survey.
This report covers the results of the Quantitative Survey conducted in August/September 2014.
2.2 Research Objectives
The main objectives of the current Quantitative Survey were as follows:
1. To provide a nationally representative measure of the following areas which can be used to monitor
changes over time:
• general attitudes towards science and technology
• how informed people feel about developments in science and technology
• whether the level of information they see and hear about science is too much or too little
• the activities they have undertaken in relation to science and technology
• their level of interest in a range of areas relating to science and technology
• reasons for being interested/ not interested in science and technology
• their world view attitudes e.g. their attitudes around protecting the environment, the state of their finances, their openness to new ideas and whether a multicultural society is a strong society etc
• whether they have any formal training in science
• their demographic characteristics including age, gender, income and ethnicity etc 2. To construct a model of engagement with science and technology including an Index of Engagement
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3. To cross-analyse the results by demographic variables to determine the types of people who are more
and less likely to be engaged with science and technology
4. To segment the public in terms of their varying levels of engagement with science and technology
5. Where possible to compare the results with previous studies conducted for MORST in New Zealand and
with other international reports including Eurobarometer studies (European Union – 2013 and 2014), Public
Attitudes to Science (UK - 2014) and How do Australians Engage with Science? (2014)
2.3 Methodology
In order to provide a representative sample of New Zealanders aged 15 or more we used a mixed methodology including both an online survey and a telephone survey with a CATI approach (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). The reason for this mixed approach relates to the following table which shows the proportion of the population aged 15 plus who have accessed the Internet in the last four weeks compared with those who live in households with landline telephones, the medium for conducting a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) survey:
y/e March 2010 y/e March 2014
Accessed the Internet in the last 4 weeks from any source
81% 86%
Have a landline telephone 86% 69%
Either accessed the Internet OR have a landline telephone
96% 96%
Source: Nielsen Consumer & Media Insights Survey Over the last four years, Internet usage has become much more common than having a landline telephone and relying on just a CATI approach would not have delivered representative results for the total population. Similarly, while 86% of the population access the Internet at least every four weeks, a solely online approach would have missed the 14% of the population who don’t access the Internet regularly. This mixed approach also allows us to directly compare the current results with results from the 2010 survey (which also used a mixed CATI/online methodology). Because of the differences inherent in answering survey questions using different methodologies it is safest to compare results for the same method e.g. online in 2014 vs online in 2010 and CATI in 2014 vs. CATI in 2014. We can also compare current results with 2005 and 2002 survey results (which both used a CATI approach – in these instances we can compare 2014 CATI results with 2005 and 2002 CATI results). Comparisons of 2010 and 2014 results are included in Appendix One. 2.4 The Survey Process
a) Online survey process
Prospective participants for the online survey were sent invitations to take part via an email which included a link to the survey. Online surveys were hosted on a Nielsen server. Anonymity was guaranteed and participants could ask questions about the surveys and resolve any connection issues by emailing Nielsen.
The first 100 interviews constituted a pilot of the online survey to ensure it was understandable and flowed correctly.
b) Telephone survey process
Infield International, Nielsen’s fieldwork partner, conducted the telephone interviews using a CATI approach (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). Interviewers were briefed thoroughly before the survey commenced.
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Seventy five pilot CATI interviews were conducted, mainly focusing on the interview duration as in the initial pilot the duration averaged 21 minutes which was more than budgeted and would have had a negative effect on the survey response rate. By slightly reducing the number of questions and adjusting how some questions were asked, the average duration was reduced to 17 minutes for the CATI survey.
2.5 Questionnaire Design
The questionnaires for each survey were developed in close consultation with MBIE.
Questionnaire design incorporated:
questions from the 2010 survey of attitudes to science conducted by Nielsen for MORST. Core questions which formed the basis of the segmentation analysis in 2010 were retained so we could repeat this analysis in 2014
new questions designed to provide a broader measure of engagement than in the 2010 survey
key questions from international studies conducted in Europe and the UK in order to facilitate international benchmarking
Both the online and CATI surveys had the same questions and the average survey duration was 10 minutes for the online survey and 17 minutes for the CATI survey. One feature of the online survey was that any responses such as “don’t know” answers that were not read out directly to respondents in the CATI survey were presented in a less obtrusive colour in the online survey in an attempt to maintain consistency between the two surveys. The Online and CATI questionnaires used for this project are included in Appendix 4 and 5 respectively. 2.6 Sample Sources
Survey participants were drawn from two sources as listed below:
Survey Sources of participants
1. The online survey The Survey Sampling International (SSI) online research panel. This panel was formerly run by Nielsen but was sold to SSI in 2010. The panel has over 65,000 active members in New Zealand.
Members are rewarded for the time they spend answering surveys with incentives including vouchers, movie tickets, pre-pay phone vouchers, as well as the opportunity to donate to a range of charities. Recruitment also stresses intangible benefits - "the chance to have your say".
This panel is used for research purposes only and there is no inherent bias amongst panellists towards any particular products or services.
2. The CATI telephone survey Randomly generated landline telephone numbers were used to create the sample frame.
In this case, no incentives were offered to prospective participants.
To ensure a random selection of respondents, after ringing the household the interviewer asked to speak to the person in the household aged 15 years or older with the next birthday.
Survey Sources of participants
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2.7 Survey Timing
Fieldwork was conducted from 26 August to 18 September 2014.
Dates for specific surveys were:
Survey Start date End date
1. The online survey 26 August 15 September
2. The CATI telephone survey 25 August 18 September
2.8 Survey Reliability
With an overall sample size of 3,004, the total results are highly robust, with a maximum predicted margin of error of ± 1.8%. The total sample sizes and predicted reliability of the results for each survey are summarised below:
Survey Unweighted
Sample Size
n=
Maximum Predicted
Margin of Error
1. The online survey 2,504 ±2.0%
2. The CATI telephone survey 500 ±4.4%
Achieving such a large overall sample means that results are very reliable at the total level. Moreover, the sizes of individual sub-samples (e.g. for various demographic groups) are also generally sufficient to provide reliable results.
Some examples of special interest groups follow, based on the combined results from both surveys:
Sub-sample Unweighted
Sample Size
n=
Maximum Predicted
Margin of Error
Age 15 to 19 199 ±6.9%
Age 75 plus 162 ±7.7%
Young single people living alone 138 ±8.3%
Young couple with no children 177 ±7.4%
Living in a rural area (includes living in a very small town of less than 200 population)
345 ±5.3%
No educational qualification 313 ±5.5%
Māori 282 ±5.8%
Pacific people 162 ±7.7%
Asian 269 ±6.0%
2.9 Quotas and Weighting a) Quotas
To ensure a representative sample, quotas were set by age, gender and Region to reflect the national population aged 15 plus based on the 2013 Census.
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b) Weighting
As this study involved sample surveys, some groups (based on age, gender, ethnicity and location) are under- or over-represented in the survey responses. To account for this, the responses were weighted by age, gender, Region and ethnicity to be representative of the national population aged 15 plus. The CATI and online survey responses were also merged in proportion to the number of people who regularly access the Internet versus the number living in households with telephone landlines. Technical details of the weighting are included in Appendix Three.
2.10 Sample Profile
The following tables provide a demographic breakdown of the total sample for the variables used to weight the sample i.e. age, gender, Region and ethnicity. Note that some sub-totals do not add to 100% due to rounding or multiple responses e.g. for ethnicity.
Age Unweighted
n=
Weighted
n=
Weighted
%
15-19 years 199 269 9
20-24 years 264 253 8
25-29 years 205 196 7
30-34 years 233 243 8
35-39 years 233 257 9
40-44 years 253 223 7
45-49 years 254 237 8
50-54 years 314 348 12
55-59 years 184 214 7
60-64 years 231 226 8
65-69 years 256 221 7
70-74 years 216 180 6
75 plus 162 139 5
Total 3,004 3,004 100
Gender Unweighted
n=
Weighted
n=
Weighted
%
Male 1,366 1,443 48
Female 1,638 1,561 52
Total 3,004 3,004 100
Region Unweighted
n=
Weighted
n=
Weighted
%
Northland 107 115 4
Auckland - Rodney 90 82 3
Auckland - North Shore 176 167 6
Auckland - Waitakere City 135 136 5
Auckland - Auckland City 303 281 9
Auckland - Manukau City 215 243 8
Auckland - Papakura or
Franklin 68 87 3
Waikato 281 260 9
Bay of Plenty 197 200 7
Gisborne 27 28 1
Page 20
Hawke's Bay 107 107 4
Taranaki 74 74 2
Manawatu-Wanganui 166 174 6
Wellington 350 322 11
Tasman 30 29 1
Nelson 41 44 1
Marlborough 34 36 1
West Coast 21 22 1
Canterbury 366 373 12
Otago 156 166 6
Southland 60 57 2
Total 3,004 3,004 100
Ethnicity (multiple responses allowed)
Unweighted
n=
Weighted
n=
Weighted
%
NZ European / Pākehā 2,203 1,975 66
Other European 250 220 7
Net European 2,418 2,154 72
Māori 282 354 12
Samoan 63 71 2
Cook Islands Māori 41 41 1
Tongan 25 33 1
Niuean 11 10 0
Tokelauan 3 3 0
Fijian 21 19 1
Other Pacific Island people 13 12 0
Net Pacific People 162 170 6
Chinese 65 79 3
Indian 122 149 5
Korean 13 21 1
South East Asian 38 46 2
Other Asian 40 47 2
Net Asian 269 334 11
Middle Eastern 9 6 0
Latin American 10 7 0
African 14 9 0
Other 53 33 1
Total 3,004 3,004 104
Page 21
2.11 Reporting Protocols and Interpretation of Results
Throughout the report, we report on weighted results while unweighted sample bases are provided.
When analysing differences in the results, only statistically significant differences are reported. Where we examine pairs of variables e.g. males vs. females, significance testing compares one result directly against the other. By contrast, where three or more variables are measured e.g. for different age groups, the significance testing compares results for one result at a time against the total excluding that result. These differences are identified at the 95% confidence level and account for variations in sample size.
Note that a result can be statistically significant, but not meaningful and there is a need for practical interpretation when applying the results to programme design. For instance, a significant difference could involve 48% of males agreeing with a statement compared with 52% of females. A small difference such as this may have no practical meaning, as the results are relatively close.
Where we refer to Pākehā/European people this includes people who identified their ethnicity either as NZ European/Pākehā or Other European.
Page 22
y smaller results: bold red font e.g. 15%
Small sample sizes from n=50 to n=99, where results are indicative and should be treated with caution, are depicted with a single asterisk *. Very small sample sizes of less than n=50 are indicated with two asterisks **. In these cases, while the sample size is provided, the results are not included in the report as they are not statistically reliable.
SECTION 3 ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Page 23
3. ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
In order to provide measures of attitudinal engagement with science and technology, survey participants were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements covering emotive and cognitive aspects of science and technology and its perceived importance. Those interviewed were also asked how interested they were in various aspects of science and technology and their reasons for interest, or lack of interest, in developments in science and technology.
3.2 Peoples’ Feelings about Science and Technology (the Emotive Dimension)
Levels of agreement with two statements about how much people enjoy finding out about science and technology were assessed using a 5-point agreement scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The results are shown in the chart below:
FIGURE ONE: FEELINGS ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
In general, the public has strong positive feelings about science & technology with 79% agreeing that they enjoy finding out about new ideas in science (only 5% disagree). An even greater proportion (84%) agree that they enjoy finding out about new ideas in technology (again only 5% disagree).
The demographic groups who were significantly more and less likely to agree with these statements were very similar as shown in the following tables:
41%
43%
39%
41%
14%
10%
4%
3%
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEWIDEAS IN SCIENCE
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEWTECHNOLOGIES
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
79% 5%
84% 5%
% Agree % Disagree
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
Page 24
TABLE ONE: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEW IDEAS IN SCIENCE
TOTAL: Enjoy Finding out About New Ideas in Science 79% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Some formal scientific training 92%
Post graduate degree 91%
Work in farming 91%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 89%
Asian 87%
University graduate 86%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 86%
Male 84% Significantly less
likely to Agree
No academic qualification 69%
Not working 69%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with formal science training, higher education levels, higher personal incomes, Asian people, males and those working in farming are significantly more positive about finding out about new scientific ideas. By contrast, those with no academic qualifications and people who are not working are less likely to be so positive.
TABLE TWO: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES
TOTAL: Enjoy Finding out About New Technologies 84% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 93%
Work in science, technology and IT 93%
Post graduate degree 92%
Student 92%
Some formal scientific training 89% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Not working 79%
Retired 79%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 78%
No academic qualification 76%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with personal incomes of $60,000 to $80,000 per year, working in science, technology and IT, with postgraduate degrees, students and with some formal science training are significantly more positive about finding out about new technologies. By contrast, those who are not working, the retired, those with personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year and people with no educational qualifications are less likely to agree.
Page 25
3.3 Public Understanding of Science and Technology (the Cognitive Dimension)
Levels of agreement with two statements about how much people understand science and technology were assessed. Note that compared with the previous section, the statements were reversed i.e. disagree is a positive result. Therefore the scale in the chart below has been flipped compared with the previous chart:
FIGURE TWO: UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Fairly large groups of the population feel that science and technology is confusing to understand either because it is too specialised or they are exposed to too much conflicting information.
A third of people (35%) agree that science and technology is too specialised for them to understand while 43% disagree. Around half (51%) agree that there is so much conflicting information about science that it is hard to know what to believe while only 26% disagree.
These results are cross-analysed by demographics in the following tables:
18%
8%
26%
18%
20%
21%
25%
36%
11%
15%
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARETOO SPECIALISED FOR ME TO
UNDERSTAND
THERE IS SO MUCH CONFLICTINGINFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE, IT
IS HARD TO KNOW WHAT TOBELIEVE
Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately agree Strongly agree Don't know
43% 35%
26% 51%
Base Total Sample n= 3,004. Note that the scale is reversed as the statement is a negative one – disagree is a positive result
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
% Disagree % Agree
Page 26
TABLE THREE: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL THAT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE TOO SPECIALISED TO UNDERSTAND
TOTAL: Science and technology are too specialised for me to understand 35% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Pacific people 53%
No academic qualification 52%
Asian 47% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 25%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 25%
Work in science, technology and IT 24%
Work in construction/design/engineering 23%
Some formal scientific training 22%
Work in education & training 20%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Pacific and Asian people and those with no qualifications are more likely to find science and technology too specialised to understand.
On the other hand, people with postgraduate degrees, high personal incomes and some formal scientific training are less likely to agree, as are those working in the following areas:
Science, technology and IT
Construction, design or engineering
Education & training
Page 27
TABLE FOUR: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL THERE IS SO MUCH CONFLICTING INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE, IT IS HARD TO KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE
TOTAL: There is so much conflicting information about science, it is hard to know what to believe
51% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
No academic qualification 62%
Aged 55 years or over 60%
Retired 60%
Significantly less likely to Agree
Aged 45 to 54 years 42%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 42%
Aged 35 to 44 years 41%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 41%
Some formal scientific training 39%
Work in science, technology and IT 38%
Post graduate degree 36%
Young singles, living alone 32%
Work in education & training 32%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with no qualifications, older people aged 55 or more and retired people are more likely to feel there is so much conflicting information about science it is hard to know what to believe.
By contrast, those who are less likely to know what to believe because of the amount of conflicting information include:
Those aged 35 to 54
People with high personal incomes
More highly qualified people including people with some formal scientific training
Workers in the areas of science, technology and IT and education & training
Young singles, living alone
Page 28
3.4 Interest in Science and Technology
Those interviewed indicated their level of interest in six aspects of science and technology using a four-point scale from not at all interested to very interested. The results are shown in the chart below
FIGURE THREE: INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The proportion who are interested (either very interested or fairly interested) in the above areas ranges from 81% who are interested in developments in science to 41% who are interested in learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science.
For five out of the six areas above, levels of not being at all interested are very low (from 4% to 6%) however around a quarter (25%) are not at all interested in learning more about how Mātauranga Māori relates to science.
These results are cross-analysed by demographics in the following tables:
28%
24%
20%
20%
17%
14%
54%
42%
45%
45%
47%
27%
14%
21%
26%
25%
27%
30%
8%
6%
6%
6%
25%
5%
3%
4%
3%
4%
INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE
IN DOING MORE SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGYACTIVITIES WITH YOUR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE
YOU SPEND TIME WITH
IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON ETHICAL ISSUESAROUND SCIENCE
IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON WHAT SCIENTIFIC AREASGOVERNMENT SHOULD INVEST IN
IN TAKING PART IN SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS OFBENEFIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW MĀTAURANGAMĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORI KNOWLEDGE)
RELATES TO SCIENCE
Very interested Fairly interested Not very interested Not at all interested Don't know
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
% Interested
% Not At All
Interested
81% 4%
66% 5%
65% 6%
65% 6%
63% 6%
41% 25%
How interested are you in…?
Page 29
TABLE FIVE: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE
TOTAL: Interested in developments in science 81% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 95%
Post graduate degree 93%
Some formal scientific training 92%
Work in science, technology and IT 92%
University graduate 90%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 89%
Male 84% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
Female 78%
High school qualification only 78%
No formal scientific training 78%
Aged 15 to 24 years 75%
Not working 74%
Māori 73%
No academic qualification 65%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with higher personal incomes, higher education levels, formal science training, working in science, technology and IT and males are significantly more interested in scientific developments whereas females, those with lower levels of education, people aged 15 to 24, those not working and Māori people are less likely to be interested.
Page 30
TABLE SIX: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN DOING MORE SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE YOU SPEND TIME WITH
TOTAL: Interested in doing more science/ technology activities with your children/young people you spend time with
66% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Family with mainly pre-school children 88%
Family with mainly school children 86%
Work in education & training 85%
Aged 35 to 44 years 84%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 81%
Work in science, technology and IT 80%
Aged 25 to 34 years 79%
Post graduate degree 79%
Pacific people 78%
Asian 77%
University graduate 76%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 76%
Some formal scientific training 75% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
High school qualification only 60%
No academic qualification 54%
Aged 55 years or over 51%
Older people with no children 48%
Retired 43%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with mainly pre-school or school children, those aged 25 to 44 years, people with high personal incomes, higher levels of education and some formal scientific training as well as Pacific and Asian people are more likely to want to do more science/ technology activities with their children or young people they spend time with. Also those who work in the following areas are more likely to want to do these activities with children:
Education & training
Science, technology and IT
By contrast, those with no educational qualifications or a high school qualification only and older people (especially those with no children and the retired) are less likely to be interested in these activities.
Page 31
TABLE SEVEN: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON ETHICAL ISSUES AROUND SCIENCE
TOTAL: Interested in having your say on ethical issues around science
65% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Have a postgraduate degree 81%
Work in science, technology and IT 79%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 78%
Some formal scientific training 77%
Work in education & training 76%
University graduate 75% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
No formal scientific training 62%
High school qualification only 59%
Not working 59%
Work in retail, real estate, trades and services 56%
Work in construction/design/engineering 53%
No academic qualification 47%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with higher education levels, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes are relatively more likely to want to have their say on ethical issues around science. Those who work in the following areas are also more interested in having their say on these issues:
Science, technology and IT
Education & training
Conversely, those with fewer qualifications and people who are not working or working in retail, real estate, trades & services or construction/design/engineering are less interested in having their say on these issues.
Page 32
TABLE EIGHT: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON WHAT SCIENTIFIC AREAS GOVERNMENT SHOULD INVEST IN
TOTAL: Interested in having your say on what scientific areas government should invest in
65% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Work in science, technology and IT 82%
Post graduate degree 77%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 75%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 73%
University graduate 72%
Some formal scientific training 72%
Male 68% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
Female 63%
No formal scientific training 63%
High school qualification only 61%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 61%
Not working 57%
No academic qualification 55%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People working in science, technology and IT, those with higher education levels, formal scientific training and higher personal incomes and males are more interested in having their say on the scientific areas government should invest in.
By contrast, females, those with no formal scientific training, lower educational qualifications, earning $20,000 to $40,000 per year and not working are less likely to be interested.
Page 33
TABLE NINE: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN TAKING PART IN SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS OF BENEFIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
TOTAL: Interested in taking part in scientific projects of benefit to your community
63% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Post graduate degree 81%
Some formal scientific training 80%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 77%
Work in education & training 75%
Work in community services/ healthcare 74%
University graduate 73%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 71%
Family with mainly school children 70% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
No formal scientific training 58%
Not working 58%
High school qualification only 57%
Older people with no children 56%
Retired 54%
No academic qualification 48%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with higher education levels, some formal science training, higher personal incomes and those with families of mainly school children are significantly more interested in taking part in scientific projects of benefit to their community. Workers in the following industry types are also more interested in taking part in these projects:
Education and training
Community services and healthcare
By contrast, those with no formal science training, people who are not working, older people with no children at home and the retired are less likely to be interested in taking part in these activities.
Page 34
TABLE TEN: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW MĀTAURANGA MĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORI KNOWLEDGE) RELATES TO SCIENCE
TOTAL: Interested in learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science
41% Interested
Significantly more likely to be Interested
Māori 80%
Work in education & training 67%
Pacific people 64%
Aged 15 to 24 years 50%
Live in upper North Island (excl. Auckland) 50%
Family with mainly school children 49%
University graduate 47%
Some formal scientific training 47% Significantly less
likely to be Interested
Live in South Island 36%
Pākehā/European 33%
Aged 55 years or over 32%
Older people with no children 31%
Retired 28%
Work in financial/insurance & professional services 28%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Māori and Pacific people are noticeably more interested than other groups in learning more about how Mātauranga Māori relates to science whereas Pākehā/European people are relatively less likely to be interested. Still, three out of ten Pākehā/European people are interested in learning more about this area.
Other groups who are relatively more interested than the total in how Mātauranga Māori relates to science include those aged 15 to 24, those in families with mainly school children, people from the Upper North Island (excluding Auckland), those working in education & training, university graduates and those with some formal science training.
On the other hand, others who are less interested include people living in the South Island, older people (especially those with no children), retired people and those working in the financial/insurance and professional services sector.
Page 35
3.5 Perceived Importance of Science and Technology
We also asked the survey participants how important eleven aspects of science and technology are to them. This question used a 5-point agreement scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The results are shown in two separate charts below; the first relating to the importance of science and technology in peoples’ own lives and in careers and education while the second chart focuses on its importance for society, the environment and for the economy:
FIGURE FOUR: PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PERSONALLY AND FOR PEOPLES’ STUDY & CAREERS
There is very strong agreement that both technology and science are important subjects to study at school (both 90% agree). In addition around eight out of ten agree that knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities (84% agree), science is a worthwhile career to pursue (83% agree) and it is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues (80% agree). However, there is lower agreement with one more personal statement - science is important in my daily life (59% agree) and in this area is there an appreciable number who disagree (16%).
62%
61%
45%
48%
37%
25%
29%
28%
39%
35%
43%
33%
6%
7%
11%
12%
14%
24%
3%
3%
3%
13% 3%
TECHNOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FORPEOPLE TO STUDY AT SCHOOL
SCIENCE IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FOR PEOPLETO STUDY AT SCHOOL
KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE IS USEFUL FORINCREASING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
SCIENCE IS A WORTHWHILE CAREER TO PURSUE
IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE KEPT UP-TO-DATE ONSCIENCE ISSUES
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT IN MY DAILY LIFE
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
90% 2%
90% 2%
84% 3%
83% 4%
80% 4%
59% 16%
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
% Agree % Disagree
Page 36
FIGURE FIVE: PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY
There is very strong support for four areas above with levels of agreement from 91% who agree that science is important for improving human health to 82% who agree that science is important for addressing key challenges affecting our society. By contrast, there is slightly lower support for investing in pure scientific research, with 69% agreeing that the government should fund scientific research even if we can't be sure of economic benefit. However, only 11% disagree with this type of funding.
The following tables show the demographic groups who are significantly more and less likely to agree with these statements:
69%
53%
48%
44%
29%
23%
33%
35%
38%
40%
5%
8%
10%
11%
17%
2%
3%
8%
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING HUMANHEALTH
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESERVATIONOF NEW ZEALAND'S ENVIRONMENT
NZ NEEDS TO DEVELOP ITS SCIENTIFIC &TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN ORDER TO ENHANCE ITS
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR ADDRESSING KEYCHALLENGES AFFECTING OUR SOCIETY
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND SCIENTIFICRESEARCH EVEN IF WE CAN'T BE SURE OF
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
91% 2%
87% 3%
83% 4%
82% 5%
69% 11%
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
% Agree % Disagree
Page 37
TABLE 11: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO AGREE THAT TECHNOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FOR PEOPLE TO STUDY AT SCHOOL
TOTAL: Technology is an important subject for people to study at school
90% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 96%
Aged 55 years or over 95%
Older people with no children 94%
University graduate 94%
Some formal scientific training 94%
Retired 94% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 87%
In a group flatting situation 83%
Student 82%
Aged 15 to 24 years 79%
Young singles, living alone 78%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with high personal incomes, older people aged 55 or more, older people with no children, university graduates, those with some formal scientific training and retired people are significantly more likely to agree that technology is an important subject for people to study at school.
By contrast, those with low personal incomes, young people aged 15 to 24, young singles living alone and flatting and students are less likely to agree.
TABLE 12: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL THAT SCIENCE IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FOR PEOPLE TO STUDY AT SCHOOL
TOTAL: Science is an important subject for people to study at school
90% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 96%
Some formal scientific training 96%
University graduate 95%
Post graduate degree 95% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 87%
Not working 86%
Aged 15 to 24 years 85%
No academic qualification 82%
Agreeing that science is important to study at school has a similar pattern to agreeing that technology is important to study. Results are differentiated by age, income and academic qualifications.
Page 38
TABLE 13: MORE & LESS LIKELY TO FEEL THAT KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE IS USEFUL FOR INCREASING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
TOTAL: Knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities
84% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 91%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 91%
Some formal scientific training 91%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 90%
Aged 55 years or over 89%
Older people with no children 88%
University graduate 88% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Polytechnic / technical qualification 81%
No academic qualification 78%
Work in retail, real estate, trades and services 77%
Not working 75%
Young singles, living alone 71%
People with higher education levels, higher personal incomes, formal scientific training and older people aged 55 or more, including those with no children at home, are significantly more likely to agree that knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities.
By contrast, those with polytechnic/technical qualifications or no academic qualifications, those working in retail, real estate, trades and services, people not working and young singles living alone are less likely to agree.
Page 39
TABLE 14: MORE & LESS LIKELY TO FEEL THAT SCIENCE IS A WORTHWHILE CAREER TO PURSUE
TOTAL: Science is a worthwhile career to pursue
83% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 93%
Work in education & training 93%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 92%
Aged 55 years or over 89%
Older people with no children 89%
Some formal scientific training 89%
Retired 89% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Aged 25 to 34 years 77%
Family with mainly adults 77%
Not working 77%
Work in retail, real estate, trades & services 76%
No academic qualification 75%
Asian 75%
Young singles, living alone 74%
Aged 15 to 24 years 73%
Those with higher education levels and formal scientific training, people working in education & training, those with higher personal incomes, older people aged 55 or more, older people with no children and the retired are significantly more likely to feel that science is a worthwhile career to pursue.
By contrast, young people aged 15 to 34, those living in a family with mainly adults, young singles living alone, people who are not working or working in retail, real estate, trades and services, those with no qualifications and Asian people are less likely to agree.
Page 40
TABLE 15: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE KEPT UP-TO-DATE ON SCIENCE ISSUES
TOTAL: It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues
80% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 92%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 89%
Work in education & training 89%
University graduate 87%
Some formal scientific training 87%
Aged 55 years or over 86% Significantly less
likely to Agree
In a group flatting situation 72%
Aged 15 to 24 years 71%
No academic qualification 70%
Not working 70%
Young singles, living alone 68%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with higher education levels, formal scientific training and higher personal incomes, those working in education and training and older people aged 55 or more are significantly more likely to agree that it is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues.
In contrast, young people aged 15 to 24, young singles living alone, people who are flatting, those with no qualifications and those who are not working are less likely to agree.
Page 41
TABLE 16: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO AGREE THAT SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT IN MY DAILY LIFE
TOTAL: Science is important in my daily life
59% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 81%
Work in science, technology and IT 80%
Some formal scientific training 78%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 75%
Asian 72%
Work in education & training 70%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 67%
University graduate 66%
Family with mainly school children 65%
Male 64% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Female 54%
No formal scientific training 53%
Live in a provincial town 51%
High school qualification only 51%
Not working 45%
No academic qualification 43%
Work in government 42%
Work in mfg, transport & logistics 41%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People with higher education levels, formal scientific training and higher personal incomes, Asian people and those in families with mainly school children are significantly more likely to agree that science is important in their daily lives, as are those working in science, technology and IT and education & training.
On the other hand, those who are less likely to feel science is important to them personally include females, people with no formal scientific training, no qualifications or high school qualifications only, residents of provincial towns, those who are not working, government workers and workers in manufacturing, transport & logistics.
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TABLE 17: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING HUMAN HEALTH
TOTAL: Science is important for improving human health
91% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 97%
Some formal scientific training 96%
University graduate 94%
Pākehā/European 93% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Aged 15 to 24 years 87%
Not working 86%
Pacific people 84%
Young singles, living alone 83%
No academic qualification 82%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with higher levels of education and some formal scientific training and Pākehā/European people are more likely to feel that science is important for improving human health.
Those aged 15 to 24, including young single people living alone, people who are not working, Pacific people and those with no academic qualifications are less likely to agree.
TABLE 18: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT IN PRESERVING NEW ZEALAND’S ENVIRONMENT
TOTAL: Science is important in preserving New Zealand’s environment
87% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 95%
University graduate 91%
Some formal scientific training 91%
Aged 55 years or over 90% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Aged 15 to 24 years 82%
Not working 81%
Work in retail, real estate, trades and services 80%
No academic qualification 78%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with high incomes, university graduates, those with some formal scientific training and older people aged 55 or more are more likely to feel that science is important in preserving New Zealand’s environment.
Those aged 15 to 24, people who are not working, those who work in retail, real estate, trades & services and those with no academic qualifications are less likely to agree.
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TABLE 19: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT NEW ZEALAND NEEDS TO DEVELOP ITS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR TO ENHANCE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
TOTAL: New Zealand needs to develop its scientific and technology sector to enhance international competitiveness
83% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Postgraduate degree 93%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 93%
Aged 55 years or over 91%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 91%
Work in science, technology and IT 91%
Some formal scientific training 90%
Retired 90% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Aged 25 to 34 years 76%
No academic qualification 75%
Student 75%
Aged 15 to 24 years 74%
Family with mainly pre-school children 73%
Māori 73%
Not Working 73%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with a postgraduate degree, some formal scientific training and high personal incomes, older people aged 55 or more and the retired are more likely to feel that New Zealand needs to develop its scientific and technology sector to enhance international competitiveness, as are those who work in science, technology and IT.
People aged 15 to 34, those with no academic qualifications, students, those with families with main pre-school children, Māori people and people who are not working are less likely to agree.
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TABLE 20: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR ADDRESSING THE KEY CHALLENGES AFFECTING SOCIETY
TOTAL: Science is important for addressing the key challenges affecting society
82% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Post graduate degree 93%
University graduate 88%
Some formal scientific training 88%
Aged 55 years or over 86%
Older people with no children 85%
Pākehā/European 83% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Aged 15 to 24 years 78%
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 78%
Aged 25 to 34 years 77%
Live in a rural area 77%
Pacific people 73%
No academic qualification 71%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with more advanced educational qualifications, some formal scientific training, older people aged 55 or more, older people with no children and Pākehā/European people are more likely to feel that science is important for addressing the key challenges affecting society.
People aged 15 to 34, with low personal incomes, those living in rural areas, Pacific people and those with no academic qualifications are less likely to agree.
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TABLE 21: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH EVEN IF THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS ARE UNCERTAIN
TOTAL: The government should fund scientific research even if the economic benefits are uncertain
69% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Work in science, technology and IT 83%
Aged 55 years or over 81%
Post graduate degree 78%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 78%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 77%
Retired 77%
Older people with no children 76% Significantly less
likely to Agree
High school qualification only 63%
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 61%
Aged 25 to 34 years 58%
Student 57%
Family with mainly pre-school children 56%
Not working 56%
Aged 15 to 24 years 54%
Pacific people 52%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
People who work in science, technology & IT, older/retired people (including older people with no children), those with postgraduate degrees and those with relatively high incomes are more likely to feel that the government should fund scientific research even if the economic benefits are uncertain.
People with high school qualifications only and low personal incomes, people aged 15 to 34, students, those in families with mainly pre-school children, people who are not working and Pacific people are less likely to agree.
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3.6 Other Attitudes to Science and Technology
Two further questions were asked relating to scientists listening to the public and to the role of Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) in science. These questions used a 5-point agreement scale.
FIGURE SIX: OTHER ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Around six out of ten of those aged 15 or more (62%) feel that scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think and only 12% disagree. This compares with 69% of UK adults aged 16 or more who feel that scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think (recorded in the Ipsos Mori report - Public Attitudes to Science Survey, 2014).
Around four in ten (39%) feel that Mātauranga Māori has a role in science whereas a quarter of people (25%) disagree. Māori and Pacific people are much more likely to agree (62% and 49% respectively).
The following tables show the groups of people who are significantly more or less likely to agree with these two statements.
27%
14%
35%
25%
23%
28%
9%
15% 10% 8%
SCIENTISTS SHOULD LISTEN MORE TO WHATORDINARY PEOPLE THINK
MĀTAURANGA MĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORIKNOWLEDGE) HAS A ROLE IN SCIENCE
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
62% 12%
39% 25%
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004
% Agree % Disagree
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TABLE 22: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT SCIENTISTS SHOULD LISTEN MORE TO WHAT ORDINARY PEOPLE THINK
TOTAL: Scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think
62% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Pacific people 75%
Retired 73%
Live in a rural area 72%
Aged 55 years or over 70%
Older people with no children 67%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 67%
Live in a provincial city 65%
No formal scientific training 64% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Pākehā/European 60%
Aged 35 to 44 years 56%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 52%
Work in science, technology and IT 47%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Pacific people, older/retired people (including older people with no children), those living in rural areas and provincial cities and those with personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year are more likely to feel that scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think.
By contrast, Pākehā/European people, those aged 35 to 44, people with personal incomes of $60,000 to $80,000 per year and those working in science, technology and IT are less likely to agree.
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TABLE 23: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT MĀTAURANGA MĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORI KNOWLEDGE) HAS A ROLE IN SCIENCE
TOTAL: Mātauranga Māori has a role in science
39% Agree
Significantly more likely to Agree
Māori 62%
Work in education & training 50%
University graduate 47%
Live in a rural area 46%
Live in upper North Island (excl. Auckland) 44% Significantly less
likely to Agree
Pākehā/European 35%
High school qualification only 32%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Māori people, those working in education & training, university graduates and those living in a rural area and the Upper North Island (excluding Auckland) are more likely to feel that Mātauranga Māori has a role in science.
Pākehā/European people and those with high school qualifications only are less likely to agree.
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3.7 Comparison of NZ Attitudes with International Results Where possible, comparisons have been made between the results of the current study and other recent international studies from Europe, the UK and Australia. The charts below show comparisons of attitudes between people living in New Zealand and those living in the UK and Australia:
FIGURE SEVEN: COMPARISON OF ATTITUDES – NZ VS. UK1
People living in New Zealand are less likely than those living in the UK to agree scientists should listen more to
what ordinary people think (62% vs. 69%).
Those in New Zealand are also less likely to agree the Government should fund scientific research even if we
can’t be sure of the economic benefits (69%) than those in the UK are to agree even if it brings no immediate
benefits, scientific research which advances knowledge should be funded by the Government (78%).
Agreement that New Zealand/the UK needs to develop its scientific and technology sector in order to enhance
its international competitiveness is similar among those in New Zealand (83%) and those in the UK (81%).
1 Source: Public Attitudes to Science, 2014
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. UK Base : 1,749 UK adults aged 16 plus from Public Attitudes to Science Survey, 2014
SCIENTISTS SHOULD LISTEN MORE TO WHAT ORDINARY PEOPLE THINK
62% 69%
NZ/THE UK NEEDS TO DEVELOP ITS SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN ORDER TO ENHANCE ITS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
NZ UK
81%83%
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
UK RESULTS IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014
78%69%
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH EVEN IF WE CAN'T BE SURE OF
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
EVEN IF IT BRINGS NO IMMEDIATE BENEFITS, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WHICH ADVANCES KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT
NZ UK
NZ UK
Note – statements worded differently
Page 50
FIGURE EIGHT: COMPARISON OF ATTITUDES – NZ VS. AUSTRALIA2
Direct comparisons of attitudes between those living in New Zealand and Australia are not possible as the
questions were asked differently in the two surveys. However, the results suggest that people living in New
Zealand are more positive about finding out about new technologies and new ideas in science than those living
in Australia. Around eight in ten of those living in New Zealand agree that I enjoy finding out about new
technologies (84%) and I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science (79%), whereas 60% of those living in
Australia indicated they disagree with I’m not really interested in finding out about technology and I’m not really
interested in finding out about science.
Eight in ten of those living in New Zealand agree science is important for addressing key challenges affecting
our society (82%), similar to the proportion of those living in Australia who agree science is very important to
solving many of the problems facing us as a society today.
2 Source: How do Australians engage with science? (2014)
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
84%
60%
NZ
60%79%
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
NZ AUSTRALIA
Note – all questions were asked differently
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES - % AGREE
I’M NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY - % RATING 0-3 ON SCALE FROM 0-10,, INDICATING DISAGREEMENT
AUSTRALIA
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEW IDEAS IN SCIENCE - % AGREE
I’M NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT ABOUT SCIENCE - % RATING 0-3 ON SCALE FROM 0-10, INDICATING DISAGREEMENT
AUSTRALIAN RESULTS CPAS ANU STUDY 2014
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. Australia Base : 1,020 Australian adults aged 18 plus from How do Australians engage with science?
80%82%
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR ADDRESSING KEY CHALLENGES AFFECTING OUR SOCIETY - % AGREE
SCIENCE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO SOLVING MANY OF THE PROBLEMS FACING US AS A SOCIETY TODAY - % RATING7-10 ON SCALE FROM 0-10, INDICATING AGREEMENT
NZ AUSTRALIA
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FIGURE NINE: INTEREST IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH EUROPE3
People living in New Zealand are considerably more likely to be interested in developments in science (81%)
than those living in Europe (53%) with 28% of those living in New Zealand very interested, compared with 13%
of those living in Europe.
3 Source: Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. EU Base : 27,563 adults aged 15 plus from Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
EUROPEAN UNION RESULTS EUROBAROMETER
2013
54%
FAIRLY INTERESTED
17%
40%
46%
28%
VERY INTERESTED
13%
NOT VERY & NOT AT ALL INTERESTED
53%81%
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FIGURE TEN: TOTAL INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE – EUROPEAN BENCHMARKS4
Interest in developments in science is higher among people living in New Zealand (81%) than among those
living in 27 EU countries surveyed. Among the European countries surveyed, interest is highest in Sweden
(77%), followed by Luxembourg (69%), Netherlands and Denmark (both 68%).
4 Source: Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. EU Base : 27,563 adults aged 15 plus from Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
New Zealand 81%
Sweden 77%
Luxembourg 69%
Netherlands 68%
Denmark 68%
UK 64%
Cyprus 64%
France 62%
Finland 61%
Greece 60%
Belgium 57%
Estonia 56%
Ireland 56%
Germany 54%
Slovenia 53%
13 other EU countries less than 53%
TOTAL INTERESTED
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FIGURE 11: INTEREST IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH AUSTRALIA5
Although direct comparisons are not possible as the questions in the two surveys were asked differently, the
results suggest people living in New Zealand may be more interested in developments in science than those
living in Australia. Eight out of ten of those living in New Zealand are interested in developments in science
(81%), compared with around six to seven in ten of those living in Australia indicating they are interested in
news, information or stories about technologies, inventions and innovations (66%), scientific discoveries other
than medical ones (63%) and medical discoveries (72%).
5 Source: How do Australians engage with science? (2014)
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
54%
FAIRLY INTERESTED
17%
39%
34%
28%
VERY INTERESTED
27%
NOT VERY & NOT AT ALL INTERESTED
66%81%
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. Australia Base : 1,020 Australian adults aged 18 plus from How do Australians engage with science?
AUSTRALIA RESULTS CPAS ANU STUDY 2014
HOW INTERESTED ARE YOU IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE?
HOW INTERESTED ARE YOU IN NEWS, INFORMATION OR STORIES ABOUT …?
QUITE INTERESTED
VERY INTERESTED
NOT VERY & NOT AT ALL INTERESTED
TECHNOLOGIES, INVENTIONS & INNOVATIONS
38%
37%
25%
63%
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES– OTHER THAN
MEDICAL
28%
32%
72%
MEDICAL DISCOVERIES
Note – questions were asked differently
39%
Page 54
SECTION 4 BEHAVIOURS RELATING TO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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4. BEHAVIOURS RELATING TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
4.1 Introduction
To provide a measure of behavioural engagement with science and technology, participants were asked which of a list of activities they had undertaken in the last year. These activities are broken down into five dimensions:
academic engagement
event or attraction-based engagement
community-based engagement
work-based engagement
and media engagement.
4.2 Academic Engagement
The chart below shows the proportion of the public who have taken part in academic activities relating to science and technology in five key areas in the last year:
FIGURE 12: ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR
Around half (53%) have had any academic engagement with science and technology in the past year, most commonly helping a school-age child on a scientific project (29%). Around a quarter have listened to a lecture
29%
26%
25%
19%
19%
HELPED A SCHOOL-AGE CHILD ON A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT
LISTENED TO A LECTURE ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
READ A FORMAL SCIENTIFIC PAPER
VISITED A SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A TECHNOLOGY OR SCIENCE TOPIC
FORMALLY STUDIED A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
53%
ANY ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
Page 56
on a scientific topic (26%) or read a formal scientific paper (25%), while fewer have visited a school or university to learn more about a technology or science topic (19%) or formally studied a scientific topic (19%).
The demographic groups who were significantly more and less likely to have had any academic engagement with science and technology in the last year are shown in the following table:
TABLE 24: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE HAD ANY ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST YEAR
TOTAL: Any academic engagement with science and technology in the last year
53%
Significantly more likely to have had any academic engagement
Some formal scientific training 75%
Post graduate degree 74%
Family with mainly school children 73%
Student 73%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 70%
Work in education & training 70%
Work in community services/ healthcare 67%
Aged 15 to 24 years 65%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 65%
University graduate 64%
Asian 63% Significantly less likely to have
had any academic engagement
Aged 55 years or over 43%
Older people with no children 42%
Retired 38%
Work in financial/insurance & professional services 36%
Not working 33%
No academic qualification 29%
Unweighted Base (total sample) n= 3,004
Those with some formal scientific training, higher education levels and higher personal incomes, young people
aged 15 to 24, students, those in families with mainly school children and Asian people are more likely to have
had any academic engagement with science and technology in the last year. Those who work in education &
training and community services/healthcare are also more likely to have done so.
In contrast, older/retired people (including those with no children), people who are not working, those working in
financial/insurance and professional services and those with no educational qualifications are less likely to have
had any academic engagement with science and technology in the last year.
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4.3 Event or Attraction-based Engagement
The following chart shows the proportion of the public who have taken part in four event or attraction-based activities relating to science and technology in the last year:
FIGURE 13: EVENT OR ATTRACTION-BASED ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR
Around six in ten (63%) have taken part in any event or attraction-based science and technology activities in the last year. Half (50%) have checked out the science exhibits at a zoo, aquarium, museum, planetarium or science centre, while 29% have visited an attraction where science is profiled in an outdoor natural environment. Relatively few have attended a business or industry based event where the uptake of science and technology is highlighted (19%) or attended or participated in a science event (17%).
The demographic groups who were significantly more and less likely to have had any event or attraction-based engagement with science and technology in the last year are shown in the following table:
50%
29%
19%
17%
VISITED A ZOO, AQUARIUM, MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM OR SCIENCE CENTRE AND CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE EXHIBITS
VISITED AN ATTRACTION WHERE SCIENCE IS PROFILED IN AN OUTDOOR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT E.G. AN ECO-TOURISM ATTRACTION, SUCH AS
WHALE WATCHING OR VISITING A SEAL COLONY ETC.
ATTENDED A BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY EVENT WHERE THE UPTAKE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IS HIGHLIGHTED
ATTENDED OR PARTICIPATED IN A SCIENCE EVENT
63%
ANY ENGAGEMENTWITH AN EVENT OR
ATTRACTION
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
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TABLE 25: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE ENGAGED WITH AN EVENT OR ATTRACTION WITH A SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY THEME IN THE LAST YEAR
TOTAL: Any event or attraction-based engagement with science and technology in the last year
63%
Significantly more likely to have had any event or attraction-based
engagement
Work in advertising, media & communications 81%
Post graduate degree 79%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 79%
Work in construction/design/engineering 79%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 78%
Work in education & training 77%
Work in farming 76%
University graduate 75%
Some formal scientific training 74% Significantly less likely to have
had any event or attraction-based engagement
Retired 50%
Not working 43%
No academic qualification 42%
Those with a higher level of education, higher personal incomes and some formal scientific training are more likely to have had any event or attraction-based engagement with science and technology in the last year. Those working in the following four areas are also more likely to have had any event or attraction-based engagement:
Advertising, media & communications
Construction/design/engineering
Education & training
Farming
By contrast, the retired, those who are not working and people with no educational qualifications are less likely to have had any event or attraction-based engagement.
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4.4 Community-based Engagement
The next chart shows the proportion of the public who have taken part in community-based activities relating to science and technology in the last year:
FIGURE 14: COMMUNITY-BASED ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR
Around four in ten (44%) have donated money to support scientific research while around one in six (16%) have taken part in a scientific project or discussion within their community.
These results are cross-analysed by demographics in the following tables:
44%
16%
DONATED MONEY TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFICRESEARCH E.G. CANCER RESEARCH
TOOK PART IN A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT OR DISCUSSION WITHIN MY COMMUNITY
51%
ANY COMMUNITY-BASED ENGAGEMENT
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
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TABLE 26: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE DONATED MONEY TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH E.G. CANCER RESEARCH IN THE LAST YEAR
TOTAL: Donated money to support scientific research in the last year
44%
Significantly more likely to have donated money to support
scientific research
Work in farming 62%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 58%
Aged 55 years or over 56% Significantly less likely to have
donated money to support scientific research
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 33%
Young couple with no children 31%
Aged 15 to 24 years 30%
No academic qualification 30%
Pacific people 27%
Asian 27%
Not working 27%
Student 27%
Young singles, living alone 23%
Those working in farming, with high personal incomes and aged 55 or over are more likely to have donated money to support scientific research in the last year.
The following demographic groups are less likely to have done so:
Those with personal incomes of less than $20,000 per year
Those aged 15 to 24 years
Students
Young couples with no children and young singles living alone
Those with no educational qualification
Asian and Pacific people
Those not working
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TABLE 27: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE TAKEN PART IN A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT OR DISCUSSION WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY IN THE LAST YEAR
TOTAL: Taken part in a scientific project or discussion within their community in the last year
16%
Significantly more likely to have taken part in a community
scientific project or discussion
Work in education & training 34%
Post graduate degree 28%
Student 26%
Aged 15 to 24 years 25%
Live in a rural area 24%
University graduate 24%
Some formal scientific training 24%
Māori 23%
Family with mainly school children 22%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 22% Significantly less likely to have
taken part in a community scientific project or discussion
Polytechnic / technical qualification 13%
High school qualification only 11%
Not working 6%
People working in education & training, with higher levels of education and some formal scientific training,
young people aged 15 to 24, students, people in families with mainly school children, those living in rural areas,
Māori and people with high personal incomes are more likely to have taken part in a scientific project or
discussion within their community in the last year.
Those with polytechnic / technical qualifications or high school qualifications only and people not working are
less likely to have done so.
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4.5 Work-based Engagement
The chart below shows the proportion of the public who have taken part in work-based activities relating to science and technology in the last year:
FIGURE 15: WORK-BASED ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR
Around a quarter (24%) have had any work-based engagement with science and technology in the last year. Around two in ten (18%) have created new science-based products or practices and 15% have undertaken additional scientific training or education at work.
The demographic groups significantly more and less likely to have taken part in any work-based activities relating to science and technology are shown in the following table:
18%
15%
USED SCIENCE TO CREATE A NEW OR IMPROVED PRODUCT OR PRACTISE AT YOUR WORK
UNDERTAKEN ADDITIONAL TRAINING OR EDUCATION IN SCIENCE FOR MY WORK
24%
ANY WORK-BASED ENGAGEMENT
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
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TABLE 28: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE HAD ANY WORK-BASED ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST YEAR
TOTAL: Any work-based engagement with science and technology in the last year
24%
Significantly more likely to have had any work-based engagement
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 46%
Work in farming 45%
Some formal scientific training 42%
Work in construction/design/engineering 42%
Work in science, technology and IT 41%
Work in community services/ healthcare 40%
Post graduate degree 38%
Work in education & training 37%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 36% Significantly less likely to have
had any work-based engagement
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 14%
Retired 7%
Not working 6%
Those with higher personal incomes and some formal scientific training are more likely to have had any work-based engagement with science and technology in the last year. Those working in the following areas are also more likely to have done so:
Farming
Construction/design/engineering
Science, technology and IT
Community services/healthcare
Education & training
By contrast, those with low personal incomes are less likely to have had any work-based engagement in the last year, as are the retired and those not working.
Page 64
4.6 Media Engagement
The following chart shows the proportion of the public who have taken part in nine media activities relating to science in the last year:
FIGURE 16: MEDIA ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST YEAR
Almost nine in ten (87%) have engaged with science via the media, most commonly watching TV programmes
with a scientific theme (72%), while 56% have read scientific articles in newspapers or magazines, 46% have
conducted personal research for themselves on the internet regarding scientific topics, 44% have checked out
breaking news about science on an online news site and 44% have viewed a video on a scientific topic online.
Fewer have listened to a scientific topic on the radio (34%), downloaded a science app (21%), read or
responded to a blog on a scientific topic (20%) or discussed a scientific matter on a social media website (also
20%).
These results are cross-analysed by demographics in the following tables:
72%
56%
46%
44%
44%
34%
21%
20%
20%
WATCHED A PROGRAMME WITH A SCIENTIFIC THEME ON TV E.G. A DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DOCUMENTARY AND/OR A POPULAR PROGRAMME LIKE MYTH
BUSTERS
READ SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE/S IN NEWSPAPER/S OR MAGAZINE/S
CONDUCTED PERSONAL RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF ON THE INTERNET REGARDING SCIENTIFIC TOPIC/S E.G. HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT
VISITED AN ONLINE NEWS SITE AND CHECKED OUT BREAKING NEWS ABOUT SCIENCE E.G. ON STUFF.CO.NZ
VIEWED A VIDEO ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ONLINE E.G. ON YOUTUBE OR TED.COM
LISTENED TO A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ON THE RADIO E.G. ON RADIO NZ
DOWNLOADED A SCIENCE APP E.G. THE GEONET QUAKE APP OR BIRD APPS ETC.
READ OR RESPONDED TO A BLOG ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
DISCUSSED A SCIENTIFIC MATTER ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE E.G. FACEBOOK
87%
ANY MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
Page 65
TABLE 29: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE WATCHED A PROGRAMME WITH A SCIENTIFIC THEME ON TV
TOTAL: Watched a programme with a scientific theme on TV
72%
Significantly more likely to have watched a programme with a
scientific theme on TV
Aged 45 to 54 years 81%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 81%
Some formal scientific training 79%
Aged 55 years or over 77%
Live in lower North Island 77%
Older people with no children 77%
Pākehā/European 77% Significantly less likely to have
watched a programme with a scientific theme on TV
Aged 25 to 34 years 62%
Aged 15 to 24 years 61%
Young couple with no children 60%
No academic qualification 60%
Pacific people 60%
Not working 60%
In a group flatting situation 54%
Young singles, living alone 53%
Asian 52%
Those aged 45 or more, older people with no children, those with high personal incomes and some formal scientific training, Pākehā/European people and those living in the lower North Island are more likely to have watched a TV programme with a scientific theme in the last year.
In contrast, the following groups are less likely to have done so:
Those aged 15 to 34 years
Young couples with no children
Those in a group flatting situation and young singles living alone
Those with no educational qualifications
Pacific and Asian people
People who are not working
Page 66
TABLE 30: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE READ SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES IN NEWSPAPERS OR MAGAZINES
TOTAL: Read a scientific article in newspapers or magazines
56%
Significantly more likely to have read scientific articles in
newspapers or magazines
Post graduate degree 76%
Some formal scientific training 75%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 72%
University graduate 69%
Work in construction/design/engineering 69%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 68%
Work in science, technology and IT 68% Significantly less likely to have
read scientific articles in newspapers or magazines
Māori 46%
Aged 15 to 24 years 45%
Young couple with no children 43%
Young singles, living alone 39%
No academic qualification 34%
Not working 34%
Those with higher education levels, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes are more likely to have read scientific articles in newspapers or magazines in the last year, as are those working in construction/design/engineering and science, technology and IT. In contrast, Māori people, younger people aged 15 to 24, including young couples with no children and young singles living alone, those with no educational qualifications and people who are not working are less likely to have done so.
Page 67
TABLE 31: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE CONDUCTED PERSONAL RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF ON THE INTERNET REGARDING SCIENTIFIC TOPICS
TOTAL: Conducted personal research for yourself on the internet regarding scientific topics
46%
Significantly more likely to have conducted personal research on
scientific topics online
Post graduate degree 64%
Some formal scientific training 63%
Work in education & training 59%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 58%
Work in community services/ healthcare 56% Significantly less likely to have
conducted personal research on scientific topics online
No academic qualification 31%
Pacific people 29%
Not working 28%
Those with postgraduate degrees, some formal scientific training and high personal incomes are more likely to have conducted personal research for themselves on the internet regarding scientific topics, as are those working in education and training or community services/healthcare. Those less likely to have done so are those with no educational qualifications, Pacific people and those who are not working.
Page 68
TABLE 32: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE VISITED AN ONLINE NEWS SITE AND CHECKED OUT BREAKING NEWS ABOUT SCIENCE
TOTAL: Visited an online news site and checked out breaking news about science
44%
Significantly more likely to have checked out breaking news about
science online
Work in science, technology and IT 65%
Some formal scientific training 62%
Post graduate degree 59%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 57%
Work in education & training 55%
Family with mainly pre-school children 54%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 53%
University graduate 52%
Aged 45 to 54 years 50%
Male 49% Significantly less likely to have
checked out breaking news about science online
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 38%
No formal scientific training 38%
Aged 55 years or over 37%
Live in a provincial town 36%
Not working 35%
Retired 31%
No academic qualification 25%
People working in science, technology and IT, those with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes, those aged 45 to 54, people in families with mainly pre-school children and males are more likely to have checked out breaking news about science online. By contrast, those with personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year, no formal scientific training, older/retired people, those living in a provincial town, people who are not working and those with no educational qualifications are less likely to have done so.
Page 69
TABLE 33: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE VIEWED A VIDEO ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ONLINE
TOTAL: Viewed a video on a scientific topic online
44%
Significantly more likely to have viewed a video on a scientific
topic online
Student 67%
Aged 15 to 24 years 64%
Work in science, technology and IT 62%
Some formal scientific training 61%
Work in education & training 61%
Post graduate degree 59%
Asian 57% Significantly less likely to have
viewed a video on a scientific topic online
Not working 34%
Older people with no children 29%
No academic qualification 27%
Aged 55 years or over 26%
Retired 24%
Young people aged 15 to 24, students, those with some formal scientific training and postgraduate degrees and Asian people are more likely to have viewed a video on a scientific topic online, as are those working in science, technology and IT and education and training.
In contrast, those who are not working, older/retired people, including older people with no children, and those with no academic qualifications are less likely to have viewed a scientific video online.
Page 70
TABLE 34: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE LISTENED TO A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ON THE RADIO
TOTAL: Listened to a scientific topic on the radio
34%
Significantly more likely to have listened to a scientific topic on
the radio
Post graduate degree 49%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 49%
Work in farming 49%
Work in construction/design/engineering 46%
Aged 55 years or over 45%
Retired 45%
Older people with no children 44%
University graduate 43%
Some formal scientific training 42% Significantly less likely to have
listened to a scientific topic on the radio
Family with mainly adults 29%
High school qualification only 28%
Aged 35 to 44 years 26%
Aged 15 to 24 years 24%
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 24%
No academic qualification 23%
Student 20%
Not working 14%
Those with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training, high personal incomes and older/retired people (including older people with no children) are more likely to have listened to a scientific topic on the radio, as are those working in the areas of farming and construction/design/engineering.
In contrast, people aged 15 to 44, families with mainly adults, students, those with lower levels of education and people with low personal incomes are less likely to have listened to a scientific topic on the radio.
Page 71
TABLE 35: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE DOWNLOADED A SCIENCE APP
TOTAL: Downloaded a science app
21%
Significantly more likely to have downloaded a science app
Work in science, technology and IT 38%
Work in education & training 34%
Some formal scientific training 31%
Family with mainly pre-school children 30%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 29%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 29%
Live in South Island 28%
Live in a provincial city 26% Significantly less likely to have
downloaded a science app
Live in upper North Island (excl. Auckland) 16%
Personal income less than $20,000 per year 15%
Retired 15%
Live in a rural area 14%
Not working 13%
Work in farming 9%
The following demographic groups are more likely to have downloaded a science app:
Those working in science, technology and IT or education & training
Those with some formal scientific training
Families with mainly pre-school children
Those with higher personal incomes
Those living in the South Island and those living in a provincial city
By contrast, those living in the upper North Island (excluding Auckland) and rural areas, people with low
personal incomes, the retired, people who are not working and those working in farming are less likely to have
done so.
Page 72
TABLE 36: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE READ OR RESPONDED TO A BLOG ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
TOTAL: Read or responded to a blog on a scientific topic
20%
Significantly more likely to have read or responded to a blog on a
scientific topic
Work in science, technology and IT 44%
Some formal scientific training 34%
Post graduate degree 30%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 30%
Aged 15 to 24 years 28%
Student 27%
Male 26%
Aged 35 to 44 years 25%
University graduate 25% Significantly less likely to have
read or responded to a blog on a scientific topic
Aged 55 years or over 15%
High school qualification only 15%
Older people with no children 14%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 14%
No academic qualification 13%
Not working 13%
Retired 11%
People working in science, technology and IT, those with some formal scientific training, higher education levels
and high personal incomes, people aged 15 to 24 or 35 to 44, students and males are more likely to have read
or responded to a blog on a scientific topic in the last year.
In contrast, older/retired people (including older people with no children), those with lower education levels and
personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year and those not working are less likely to have done so.
Page 73
TABLE 37: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE DISCUSSED A SCIENTIFIC MATTER ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE
TOTAL: Discussed a scientific matter on a social media site
20%
Significantly more likely to have discussed a scientific matter on a
social media site
Aged 15 to 24 years 39%
Student 39%
Asian 33%
Work in science, technology and IT 32%
Māori 31%
Family with mainly pre-school children 30%
Post graduate degree 29% Significantly less likely to have
discussed a scientific matter on a social media site
Aged 55 years or over 10%
Older people with no children 10%
Work in financial/insurance & professional services 10%
Retired 5%
Those more likely to have discussed a scientific matter on a social media website are:
Young people aged 15 to 24 years
Students
Families with mainly pre-school children
Asian and Māori people
Those working in science, technology and IT
Those with postgraduate degrees.
Older/retired people, including older people with no children, and those working in financial/insurance and
professional services are less likely to have discussed a scientific matter on a social media website.
Page 74
Comparison with international results
FIGURE 17: – COMPARISON OF BEHAVIOURS WITH AUSTRALIA6
Direct comparisons between the results are not possible as the questions in the two surveys were asked differently. However the results suggest people living in New Zealand are less likely than those living in Australia to have done two of the three activities above. Around half of people living in New Zealand (50%) have visited a zoo, aquarium, museum, planetarium or science centre and checked out the science exhibits in the last year, while 66% of those living in Australia have visited a science centre, science museum, botanic garden, zoo, aquarium, observatory or space exploration centre in the last year. However, the question asked in New Zealand is more specific about the activity (it includes the words ‘and checked out the science exhibits’), and doesn’t include botanic gardens, so these wording differences may account for some of the difference in results. One in five people living in New Zealand have discussed a scientific matter on a social media site (20%), while 34% of those living in Australia have commented about science or technology issues through social media. Again, the difference may be partly attributable to the way the questions were worded as ‘discussing a scientific matter’ is less general than ‘commenting about science or technology issues’. Around two in ten people living in New Zealand have formally studied a scientific topic (19%), while 17% of those living in Australia have attended adult education classes related to science or technology.
6 Source: How do Australians engage with science? (2014)
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. Australia Base : 1,020 Australian adults aged 18 plus from How do Australians engage with science?
50%
66%
NZ
34%20%
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
AUSTRALIA RESULTS CPAS ANU STUDY 2014
17%19%
FORMALLY STUDIED A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ATTENDED ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES RELATED TO SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY
NZ AUSTRALIA
NZ
Note – statements were worded differently
VISITED A ZOO, AQUARIUM, MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM OR SCIENCE
CENTRE AND CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE EXHIBITS
VISITED A SCIENCE CENTRE, SCIENCE MUSEUM, BOTANIC GARDEN, ZOO, AQUARIUM, OBSERVATORY OR SPACE EXPLORATION CENTRE
DISCUSSED A SCIENTIFIC MATTER ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE
COMMENTED ABOUT SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA
Page 75
SECTION 5 LEVEL OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Page 76
5. LEVEL OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
5.1 Introduction
Participants were asked about the level of information they see and hear about science these days and how
well informed they feel about developments in science and technology.
5.2 Amount of Information Received
Views on the amount of information seen and heard about science these days were assessed using a 5-point
scale from Far Too Much to Far Too Little. The results are shown in the chart below:
FIGURE 18: AMOUNT OF INFORMATION SEEN AND HEARD ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS
Almost half (48%) feel they get about the right amount of information about science these days. A slightly
smaller proportion (42%) feel they get too little information, while only 7% feel they get too much.
The tables below show which demographic groups are significantly more or less likely to feel they get about the
right amount of information, too much and too little information about science.
2%
5%
48%
36%
6%
3%
FAR TOO MUCH
TOO MUCH
ABOUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT
TOO LITTLE
FAR TOO LITTLE
DON'T KNOW
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
7% TOO MUCH
42% TOO LITTLE
Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days, would you say you see and hear …?
48%
ABOUT RIGHT
Page 77
TABLE 38: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO GET ABOUT THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS
TOTAL: Get about the right amount of information about science these days
48%
Significantly more likely to get about the right amount of
information
Retired 58%
Aged 55 years or over 55%
Older people with no children 53%
Male 51%
Pākehā/European 51% Significantly less likely to get
about the right amount of information
Female 46%
Aged 25 to 34 years 40%
No academic qualification 37%
Māori 31%
Older/retired people, older people with no children, males and Pākehā/European people are more likely to feel they get about the right amount of information about science these days. Females, those aged 25 to 34, people with no educational qualifications and Māori people are less likely to feel they get the right amount. Those aged 25 to 34 years, with no education qualifications and Māori people are all more likely to feel they get too little information. TABLE 39: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO GET TOO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS
TOTAL: Get too much information about science these days
7%
Significantly more likely to get too much information
Asian 20%
Young couple with no children 16%
Pacific people 16%
Student 15%
Aged 15 to 24 years 13%
Live in Auckland 9% Significantly less likely to get too
much information
Aged 55 years or over 3%
Older people with no children 3%
Personal income $40,000 to $60,000 per year 3%
Pākehā/European 3%
Retired 3%
Asian and Pacific people, young people aged 15 to 24, young couples with no children, students and those
living in Auckland are more likely to feel they get too much information about science these days. Older people
aged 55 or more, including older people with no children and the retired, those with personal incomes of
$40,000 to $60,000 per year and Pākehā/European people are less likely to feel that way.
Page 78
TABLE 40: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO GET TOO LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS
TOTAL: Get too little information about science these days
42%
Significantly more likely to get too little information
Māori 61%
Work in education & training 53%
No academic qualification 51%
Aged 25 to 34 years 50% Significantly less likely to get too
little information
Aged 55 years or over 38%
Retired 35%
Asian 24%
Māori, those working in education and training, those with no educational qualifications and those aged 25 to 34 are more likely to get too little information, while those aged 55 or more years, the retired and Asian people are less likely to do so.
Page 79
5.3 How Well Informed about Science & Technology
Participants were asked how well informed they feel about developments in science and technology using a 4-point scale from Very Well Informed to Not At All Informed. The results are shown in the chart below:
FIGURE 19: HOW WELL INFORMED ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Public views on being informed about developments in science and technology are polarized – while 62% feel well informed, 36% feel they are not well informed. The chart below shows how well informed people feel about developments in science and technology by the amount of information they see and hear.
8%
54%
33%
4%
2%
VERY WELL INFORMED
FAIRLY WELL INFORMED
NOT VERY WELL INFORMED
NOT AT ALL INFORMED
DON'T KNOW
Base Total Sample n= 3,004.
62% WELL INFORMED
36% NOT WELL INFORMED
How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology?
Page 80
FIGURE 20: HOW WELL INFORMED PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BY AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THEY SEE AND HEAR
Understandably, those who receive too little or far too little information about science and technology are much more likely to feel poorly informed (49% and 52% respectively) than those who receive too much or about the right amount of information (ranging from 26% of those who receive far too much information to 28% of those who receive about the right amount). The groups significantly more and less likely to feel well informed and not well informed about developments in science and technology are shown in the tables below:
7% 5% 2% 2%
23%19% 22% 26%
47%
29%34%
55%64%
46%36%
38%
16%7% 4%
11%
Far too much Too much About the rightamount
Too little Far too little
AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SEEN AND HEARD THESE DAYS
Don't know
Very well informed
Fairly well informed
Not very well informed
Not at all informed
HOW INFORMED PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BY AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THEY SEE AND HEAR
1) Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days, would you say you see and hear …?2) How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology?
26%
49%
28%27%
52%
72%
50%
71%72%
47%
Page 81
TABLE 41: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL WELL INFORMED ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TOTAL: Feel well informed about developments in science and technology
62%
Significantly more likely to feel well informed
Work in science, technology and IT 84%
Some formal scientific training 80%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 79%
University graduate 74%
Post graduate degree 74%
Male 72%
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 72% Significantly less likely to feel
well informed
Female 52%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 51%
Not working 47%
No academic qualification 38%
Those working in science, technology and IT, with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes and males are more likely to feel well informed about developments in science and technology. In contrast, females, those with personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year, those not working and people with no educational qualifications are less likely to feel well informed. TABLE 42: MORE AND LESS LIKELY TO FEEL NOT WELL INFORMED ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TOTAL: Feel not well informed about developments in science and technology
36%
Significantly more likely to feel not well informed
No academic qualification 57%
Not working 50%
Personal income $20,000 to $40,000 per year 48% Significantly less likely to feel not
well informed
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 26%
University graduate 25%
Post graduate degree 25%
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 20%
Some formal scientific training 19%
Work in science, technology and IT 15%
People with no educational qualifications, those not working and people with personal incomes of $20,000 to $40,000 per year are more likely to feel not well informed, while those with high personal incomes, higher levels of education and some formal scientific training and those working in science, technology and IT are less likely to feel that way.
Page 82
5.4 Comparison with International Results The charts below compare the perceived level of information between people living in New Zealand and those living in the UK and Australia.
FIGURE 21: LEVEL OF INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH THE UK7
People living in New Zealand are more likely than those living in the UK to feel they get about the right amount
of information about science (48% cf. 40%), and less likely to feel they get too little information (42% cf. 51%).
The proportions who feel they are getting too much information are similar (7% of those living in New Zealand
and 6% of those living in the UK).
7 Source: Public Attitudes to Science, 2014
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. UK Base : 1,749 UK adults aged 16 plus from Public Attitudes to Science Survey, 2014
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
UK RESULTS IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014
48%
ABOUT RIGHT
TOO LITTLE
42%
TOO MUCH
7%
40%
THE RIGHT AMOUNT
TOO LITTLE
51%
TOO MUCH
6%
Page 83
FIGURE 22: LEVEL OF INFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH AUSTRALIA8
Although direct comparison between the two surveys is not possible as the question was asked differently, the
results suggest that those in New Zealand are more likely to feel they get about the right amount of information
about science than those in Australia. Around half of those in New Zealand (48%) feel they get about the right
amount of information, while three to four in ten of those in Australia indicate they agree they get enough
information about science (31%) and technology (40%) through the media.
8 Source: How do Australians engage with science? (2014)
Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days, would you say you see and hear …?
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
AUSTRALIAN RESULTS CPAS ANU STUDY 2014
48%
ABOUT RIGHT RATING 7-10 ON AGREEMENT SCALE FROM 0-10
31%
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. Australia Base : 1,020 Australian adults aged 18 plus from How do Australians engage with science?
AMOUNT OF INFORMATION SEE AND HEAR ABOUT SCIENCE THESE DAYS
I GET ENOUGH INFORMATION ABOUT … THROUGH THE MEDIA
40%
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
Note – questions were asked differently
Page 84
The charts below show how well informed about science people living in New Zealand feel compared with those living in Europe.
FIGURE 23: HOW WELL INFORMED ABOUT SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH EUROPE9
People living in New Zealand are more likely to feel well informed about science (62%) than those living in Europe (40%).
9 Source: Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. EU Base : 27,563 adults aged 15 plus from Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
EURPEAN UNION RESULTS EUROBAROMETER
2013
54%
FAIRLY WELL INFORMED
NOT VERY WELL & NOT AT ALL INFORMED
36%
34%
58%
8%
VERY WELL INFORMED
6%
40%62%
Page 85
FIGURE 24: HOW WELL INFORMED ABOUT SCIENCE –EUROPEAN BENCHMARKS10
People living in New Zealand are more likely to feel well informed (62%) than people living in 26 European countries surveyed. Only those living in Denmark are more likely to feel more informed (65%) than the New Zealand public.
10
Source: Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
NZ Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. EU Base : 27,563 adults aged 15 plus from Special Eurobarometer, Responsible Research and Innovation, Science and Technology 2013
Denmark 65%
New Zealand 62%
Sweden 61%
Luxembourg 58%
UK 56%
France 51%
Finland 48%
Malta 48%
Ireland 47%
Netherlands 47%
Germany 43%
Belgium 41%
Slovenia 40%
Cyprus 37%
Estonia 37%
Poland 37%
13 other EU countries less than 37%
TOTAL WELL INFORMED
Page 86
FIGURE 25: HOW WELL INFORMED ABOUT SCIENCE – COMPARISON WITH THE UK BY GENDER11
Males living in New Zealand feel better informed than females (72% vs. 52%), as do those living in the UK (56% vs. 34%).
11
Source: Public Attitudes to Science, 2014
Base Total Sample n= 3,004 age 15 plus. UK Base : 1,749 UK adults aged 16 plus from Public Attitudes to Science Survey, 2014
FEEL WELL INFORMED
72%
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
56%
UK RESULTS IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014
NZ RESULTS CURRENT STUDY 2014
UK RESULTS IPSOS MORI STUDY 2014
34%52%
MALES
FEMALES
How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology?
Page 87
Example Two Total
SECTION 6 MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Page 88
6. MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
6.1 Introduction A model of engagement with science and technology was created, based on attitudinal engagement and behavioural engagement, as shown in the chart below:
FIGURE 26: MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Attitudinal engagement has four dimensions (emotive, cognitive, personal interest and perceived importance) and behavioural engagement has five (academic, community-based, work-based, event or attraction-based and media engagement). Each attitudinal dimension is rated out of 25, and each behavioural dimension out of 20, thereby giving an Index out of 100 for each area of engagement. Attitudes and Behaviour are combined in the Overall Index in a ratio of 40:60 on the theory that behaviour represents more involvement than just having positive attitudes.
ATTITUDINAL ENGAGEMENT BEHAVIOURAL ENGAGEMENT OVERALL ENGAGEMENT
1. EMOTIVE
2. COGNITIVE
3. PERSONAL INTEREST
4. PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE
FOUR DIMENSIONS
1. ACADEMIC
2. COMMUNITY-BASED
3. WORK-BASED
4. EVENT OR ATTRACTION-BASED
5. MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
FIVE DIMENSIONS
ATTITUDINAL INDEX BEHAVIOURAL INDEX OVERALL INDEX
Page 89
FIGURE 27: ENGAGEMENT INDICES SCORING SYSTEM
The chart below shows the overall dimension scores for each Index:
ATTITUDINAL ENGAGEMENT BEHAVIOURAL ENGAGEMENT
1. EMOTIVE 25
2. COGNITIVE 25
3. PERSONAL INTEREST 25
4. PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE 25
ATITUDINAL INDEXMAXIMUM POINTS
100
FOUR DIMENSIONS
1. ACADEMIC 20
2. COMMUNITY-BASED 20
3. WORK-BASED 20
4. EVENT OR ATTRACTION-BASED 20
5. MEDIA ENGAGEMENT 20
BEHAVIOURAL INDEXMAXIMUM POINTS
100
FIVE DIMENSIONSMAXIMUM
POINTS
MAXIMUM POINTS
OVERALL INDEX
40% 60%
Page 90
FIGURE 28: INDEX RESULTS
The Attitudinal Index result is 67, with the Interest and Cognitive dimensions having the highest scores (20 and 19 respectively out of 25), while the Behavioural Index score is 28, with the Media engagement dimension scoring higher (8 out of 20) than the other dimensions (ranging from 3 for Work-based to 6 for Community-based engagement). The Overall Index score is 43 out of 100. The chart below shows the distribution of the scores for each Index:
INDEX RESULTS
ATTITUDINAL INDEX BEHAVIOURAL INDEX OVERALL INDEX
20
12
20
15
0
20
40
60
80
100
Interest
Perceived imptce
Cognitive
Emotive
67
Dimension scores out of 25
Dimension scores out of 20
5
3
6
6
8
Mediaengagement
Community-based
Event/ attractionbased
Work-based
Academic
28
43DIMENSIONS DIMENSIONS
Page 91
FIGURE 29: DISTRIBUTION OF INDEX SCORES
The Attitudinal Index is skewed towards more positive attitudes, with very few people having negative attitudes.
In contrast, the Behavioural Index is skewed towards fewer activities. The Overall Index has a fairly normal
distribution.
DISTRIBUTION OF INDEX SCORES
ATTITUDINAL INDEX
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX
OVERALL INDEX
0
5
10
15
20
0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-35 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-100
0
5
10
15
20
0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-100
0
5
10
15
20
0-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-35 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-100
LOW0-55
LOW0-15
LOW0-30
MEDIUM56-70
HIGH71-100
MEDIUM16-35
HIGH41-100
MEDIUM31-49
HIGH50-100
%
%
%
SKEWED TOWARDS MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDES
SKEWED TOWARDS FEWER ACTIVITIES
VERY FEW PEOPLE WITH NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
FAIRLY NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Page 92
6.2 Attitudinal Index
The table below show which demographic groups have an Attitudinal Index significantly above and below the average: TABLE 43: ATTITUDINAL INDEX ABOVE AND BELOW AVERAGE
TOTAL: Average Attitudinal Index 67
Attitudinal index above average
Post graduate degree 75
Some formal scientific training 74
Work in science, technology and IT 74
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 73
Work in education & training 73
University graduate 70
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 70
Family with mainly school children 69
Aged 35 to 44 years 69 Attitudinal index below average
High school qualification only 63
Retired 63
Not working 63
No academic qualification 60
Those with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes, people aged 34 to 44 and those in families with mainly school children are more likely to have an above-average Attitudinal Index as are those who work in the areas of science, technology and IT and education & training. In contrast, those with lower levels of education, the retired and people not working are more likely to have an Attitudinal Index that is below average.
Page 93
6.3 Behavioural Index
The table below show which demographic groups have a Behavioural Index significantly above and below average: TABLE 44: BEHAVIOURAL INDEX ABOVE AND BELOW AVERAGE
TOTAL: Average Behavioural Index 28
Behavioural index above average
Have some formal scientific training 40
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 39
Work in education & training 39
Have a postgraduate degree 39
Work in community services/ healthcare 36
Work in science, technology and IT 36
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 35
A university graduate 34
Work in construction/design/engineering 34
Work in farming 34 Behavioural index below average
Retired 20
No academic qualification 17
Not working 15
People with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes are also more likely to have an above-average Behavioural Index, as are those who work in the following areas:
Education & training
Community services/healthcare
Science, technology and IT
Construction/design/engineering
Farming
The retired, people with no educational qualifications and those not working are more likely to have a below-average Behavioural Index.
Page 94
6.4 Relationship between the Attitudinal Index and the Behavioural Index
The following scatter plot illustrates the relationship between the Attitudinal Index and the Behavioural Index:
As the plot above shows, there is a positive relationship between Attitudinal Index and the Behavioural Index scores – in general as one increases, so does the other. However, the relationship is only moderately strong with a correlation value of 0.49 and an R
2 value of 0.245. This is evidenced by the fact that in 14% of cases the
Behavioural Index is above average while the Attitudinal Index is below average and in 21% of cases the Attitudinal Index is above average while the Behavioural Index is below average.
It should be noted that the relationship shown above does not indicate causality – for example, we cannot conclude that if we increase people’s exposure to science and technology, their attitudes will automatically become more positive or conversely if we work on improving attitudes then people will automatically engage in more activities. However, it appears in general that these two aspects work together and a campaign which focuses on increasing opportunities to engage in science and technology and at the same time works to lift positive attitudes (e.g. promoting the importance of science and technology and/or aiming to demystify this area) will work well.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ATTITUDINAL AND BEHAVIOURAL INDEX RESULTS
Strong behaviourWeak attitudes
14%
Weak behaviourWeak attitudes
38%
Strong behaviourStrong attitudes
27%
Weak behaviourStrong attitudes
21%
AVE 67
AVE 28
NB. The green trend line is an approximation only
Page 95
6.5 Overall Engagement Index
The table below show which demographic groups have an Overall Index score significantly above and below the average: TABLE 45: OVERALL INDEX ABOVE AND BELOW AVERAGE
TOTAL: Average Overall Index 43
Overall index above average
Some formal scientific training 54
Post graduate degree 53
Personal income more than $80,000 per year 53
Work in education & training 53
Work in science, technology and IT 51
Personal income $60,000 to $80,000 per year 49
University graduate 49
Work in community services/ healthcare 48
Work in farming 48 Overall index below average
Retired 37
No academic qualification 34
Not working 34
People with higher levels of education, some formal scientific training and higher personal incomes are more likely to have an above-average Overall Index score, as are those who work in the following areas:
Education & training
Science, technology and IT
Community services/healthcare
Farming
The retired, people with no educational qualifications and those not working are more likely to have a below-average Overall Index result.
Page 96
6.6 Analysis of Overall Index Scores by Demographics and Attitudes to Life
The charts below show the distribution of the Overall Index scores by a range of demographic factors.
FIGURE 30: DISTRIBUTION OF INDEX SCORES
As the above diagram shows:
There was little variation in the Overall Engagement Index by age except older people aged 55 or more are
less engaged
Males are more engaged than females
Those living in families with mainly school age children are significantly more engaged while older singles or
couples with no children at home are less engaged
There is a strong relationship between more academic qualifications and more engagement with science
and technology.
DISTRIBUTION OF OVERALL INDEX SCORES
44 44 45 44 41 45 42
0
10
20
30
40
50
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ MALE FEMALE
BY AGEINDEX SCORE BY GENDER
41 42 44 45 47 43 41
0
10
20
30
40
50
Young singleliving alone
Group flattingtogether
Young couple -no children
Family - mainlypreschoolers
Family - mainlyschool children
Family - mainlyadults
Olderperson/couple -
no children
BY LIFESTAGE/HOUSEHOLD TYPEINDEX SCORE
3440 43
49 53
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
NoQualification
High schoolqualification
only
Polytechnic /Technical
Qualification
UniversityDegree
PostgraduateQualification
BY ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONSINDEX SCORE
KEY:
Significantly higher
In line with the total
Significantly lower
Page 97
FIGURE 31: DISTRIBUTION OF INDEX SCORES CONT’D
The chart above shows:
As personal and household income levels increase, engagement with science and technology increases
There were no statistically significant variations in the Engagement Index by ethnicity.
DISTRIBUTION OF OVERALL INDEX SCORES CONT’D
40 40 45 49 53
0102030405060
<$20,000 $20,001 - $40,000 $40,001 - $60,000 $60,001 - $80,000 More than $80,000
BY ANNUAL PERSONAL INCOMEINDEX SCORE
INDEX SCORE
43 45 41 44 40
0
10
20
30
40
50
Pakeha/European
Māori Pacific people Asian Other
BY ETHNICITYINDEX SCORE
KEY :
Significantly higher
In line with the total
Significantly lower
38 41 46 48
0102030405060
<$40,000 $40,001 - $60,000 $60,001 - $80,000 More than $80,000
BY ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Page 98
Looking at the chart above:
Regional results for the Overall Engagement Index are all fairly similar to the overall result
Those living in rural areas including small towns of up to 200 people are more engaged with science and
technology
Having some formal scientific training has a marked impact on being positive about science and technology.
DISTRIBUTION OF OVERALL INDEX SCORES CONT’D
43 44 43 43
0
10
20
30
40
50
Auckland Upper NorthIsland
(excl Auckland)
Lower North Island South Island
BY REGIONINDEX SCORE
INDEX SCORE
5340
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Yes No
HAVE SOME SCIENTIFIC TRAININGINDEX SCOREKEY :
Significantly higher
In line with the total
Significantly lower
42 44 42 46
0
10
20
30
40
50
Major Centre Provincial City Provincial Town Rural
BY TYPE OF REGION
Page 99
The chart below shows the attitudes associated with higher and lower Overall Index scores.
FIGURE 32: OVERALL INDEX SCORE BY THOSE WHO AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING ATTITUDINAL STATEMENTS
Those with the highest overall engagement scores include people who want to study more, those who are
environmentalists at heart and people who believe in a multicultural society and want New Zealand to retain its
Māori culture.
47
46
46
46
45
45
44
43
42
41
39
I NEED TO DO MORE FORMAL STUDY TO ADVANCE MY CAREER (N=1,048)
I AM AN ENVIRONMENTALIST AT HEART (N=1,724)
WE SHOULD MAKE SURE NZ KEEPS ITS MAORI CULTURE (N=1,898)
A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY IS A STRONG SOCIETY (N=2,011)
I AM VERY ATTRACTED TO NEW IDEAS (N=2,442)
I BELIEVE NZ IS HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (N=1,570)
IT IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN NEW THINGS THROUGHOUT LIFE (N=2,775)
TOTAL
I AM ON A VERY TIGHT BUDGET (N=1,901)
EVERYTHING IN NZ IS CHANGING TOO FAST (N=842)
LIFE IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE FOR ME (N=890)
Only significant differences are shown above
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
Page 100
SECTION 7 SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS
Page 101
7. SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS
7.1 Introduction – the 2010 Segmentation Model
To better understand the incidence and linkages between the public’s attitudes to science, we used latent class
modelling in 2010 to identify five segments of the general public. The variables used in this segmentation
included:
I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science
New Zealand needs to develop science in order to enhance our international competitiveness
Science and technology are too specialised for me to understand
It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues
Science is important in my daily life
Do you have any formal training in science?
The five segments were as follows:
Mainstream
Science Orientated
Science Followers
Enthusiasts
Disengaged.
The size of each of the segments in 2010 is shown in the following diagram:
FIGURE 33: 2010 SEGMENT DISTRIBUTION
Page 102
The key characteristics of the five segments in 2010 were as follows: Mainstream
This segment was the largest segment, accounting for 44% of the sample. Predominantly female, this segment
was characterised by their lower than average appreciation for the benefits of developments in science and
technology. Despite having a qualification, albeit only a high school qualification, they also believed science was
too specialised for them to understand.
Science Orientated
The second largest segment (23%), Science Orientated, was predominantly males. They saw the main benefit
from developments in science and technology being the advances in new medical techniques and treatments
and new forms of transport. This group was more sceptical of mainstream media as an information source than
the Mainstreamers.
Science Followers
This segment believed that science was very important in all aspects of life – it accounted for 13% of the total
population. They enjoyed following it, but had trouble understanding it and were overwhelmed by the amount of
information around. They tended to be very trusting of the information they saw and heard, most likely due to
their lack of knowledge (they were unlikely to have any qualification).
Enthusiasts
Possibly not a surprise, only 11% were defined as Enthusiasts. Enthusiasts believed there were benefits to
humanity from developments in all areas of science and technology, and were fully involved on a personal level
in the topic (enjoying finding out about new ideas). This segment’s members were strong supporters for
government funding in science.
Disengaged
Another small segment (9%), the Disengaged did not have a high appreciation for the benefits that
developments in science and technology generate. This group was far less trusting of information sources,
including scientists.
7.2 Repeating the Segmentation Conducted in 2010 We included exactly the same diagnostic questions in 2014 as in 2010, enabling us to repeat the 2010 segmentation in the same way as it was conducted in 2010 using the current survey data. The result was as follows:
Segment 2010 Results % of the population
2014 Results % of the population
Difference % points 2014 cf. 2010
Mainstream 44% 39% - 5 points
Science Orientated 23% 21% - 2 points
Science Follower 13% 21% + 8 points
Enthusiast 11% 12% + 1 point
Disengaged 9% 5% - 4 points
Base n= 1,200 3,004
KEY: Significant increase: Significant decrease:
Page 103
The Science Follower group has increased appreciably since 2010, while the Mainstream and Disengaged
segments have decreased in size over the four year period. As noted above, Science Followers believe science
and technology is important but they have difficulty understanding it and feel overwhelmed by the amount of
information in this area. It is pleasing to see that the Disengaged group has declined in size.
7.3 New Segmentation of 2014 Results
We again identified five segments as follows:
FIGURE 34: DISTRIBUTION OF SEGMENTS
7.4 Profiling the 2014 Segments These segments are characterised as follows: BUNSEN BURNER BARRY (15% OF THE TOTAL)
TOTAL
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 81
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 67
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 72
Bunsen Burner Barry is heavily engaged with science and technology and all three Index scores above are significantly higher than the total.
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR
• Strongly likely to enjoy science & technology
• Does not find these areas difficult to understand
• Very interested in science and technology and more likely to find all scientific
31%
25%
19%
10%
15%
Penelope Public
Optimistic Oliver
Anxious Angela
Negative Nellie
Bunsen Burner Barry
Page 104
areas important
• 79% have undertaken science activities at work
• 89% have engaged in some community based science activity
• 98% have attended a science event or attraction
• 100% have some academic or media engagement in the last year
• 95% are attracted to new ideas
DEMOGRAPHICS
• 57% are male
• All age groups are represented
• 25% are from a provincial city
• 25% have a postgraduate qualification
• 52% have some formal scientific training
PENELOPE PUBLIC (31% OF THE TOTAL)
TOTAL
PENELOPE PUBLIC
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 66
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 21
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 39
Penelope Public is moderately engaged with science and technology with their Attitudinal Index and Overall Index in line with the total and the Behavioural Index significantly lower.
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR
• Many results in line with the total
• Attitudes are generally positive while fewer activities are undertaken than the average
• 90% enjoy finding out about new technologies
• 85% are interested in developments in science
• 55% find conflicting information confusing
• Only 53% find science important in their daily life
• Have a strong belief in the importance of science for society and the economy
• 97% have engaged in some media activity (77% have watched scientific programmes on TV)
DEMOGRAPHICS • 57% are female
Page 105
• 37% are aged 55 or more
• 26% have a Polytechnic qualification
• Only 20% have any formal scientific training
OPTIMISTIC OLIVER (25% OF THE TOTAL)
TOTAL
OPTIMISTIC OLIVER
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 73
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 38
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 52
Optimistic Oliver is second only to Bunsen Burner Barry in his engagement with science and technology and all three Index results above are significantly higher than the average.
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR • Very positive overall attitudes
• 93% enjoy finding out about new scientific ideas
• Interested in all aspects of science
• 79% find science important in their daily life
• Second in media engagement behind Bunsen Burner Barry
• Highest agreement that NZ is heading in the right direction (64%)
• 100% agree it is important to learn new things throughout life
DEMOGRAPHICS
• 52% male/ 48% female
• All age ranges
• 32% have some scientific training
• Second highest income levels
ANXIOUS ANGELA (19% OF THE TOTAL)
TOTAL
ANXIOUS ANGELA
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 56
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 8
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 28
Page 106
Anxious Angela is not especially engaged with science and technology, with only one other segment (Negative Nellie) being less engaged. All three Index results are below the average.
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR
• Only Negative Nellie is behind this group in attitudes and behaviour
• Only 57% enjoy finding out about new scientific ideas
• 48% find science too specialised to understand
• 60% feel there is too much conflicting information about science
• They are not very interested in science and technology and are less inclined to find any areas covered in the Survey are important
• Very low academic engagement (only 15%)
• Only 48% believe New Zealand is heading in the right direction
• 36% feel everything in NZ is changing too fast
DEMOGRAPHICS
• 56% are female
• 37% are aged 55 or more
• Only 10% live in a rural area
• 42% have a high school qualification only
• 88% have no formal scientific training
NEGATIVE NELLIE (19% OF THE TOTAL)
TOTAL
NEGATIVE NELLIE
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 56
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 8
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 28
Negative Nellie is disengaged with science and technology and all three Index results for this segment are significantly below the average.
ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOUR
• Very disengaged
• No one in this group has engaged in any activities relating to science and technology
• Only 50% enjoy finding out about new scientific ideas
• Only around a third want to have their say about this area
Page 107
• Only 63% feel science is a worthwhile career to pursue
• 39% say life is a constant struggle
• Only 38% say NZ is heading in the right direction
DEMOGRAPHICS
• 53% female/ 47% female
• 37% aged 55 or more
• 26% have no academic qualifications
• 93% have no formal scientific training
• Less likely than other segments to be NZ European/Pākehā (73%)
7.5 Detailed Analysis of 2014 Segments by Survey Results The following tables show in more detail how the segments differ by Index scores and demographics: TABLE 46: SEGMENTS BY INDEX SCORES
Bunsen Burner Barry, as his name might suggest, is well ahead of all the other segments on all index measures while Negative Nellie and to a lesser extent Anxious Angela are well behind. Interestingly, Penelope Public’s attitude score is in line with the total but her behavioural score is a little behind.
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
ATTITUDINAL INDEX SCORE 67 66 73 56 54 81
BEHAVIOURAL INDEX SCORE 28 21 38 8 0 67
OVERALL INDEX SCORE 43 39 52 28 22 72Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 108
TABLE 47: SEGMENTS BY EMOTIVE AND COGNITIVE ATTITUDES (% AGREE)
Less positive segments include Anxious Angela and Negative Nellie. Penelope Public and Anxious Angela are more likely to feel there is too much conflicting information about science. TABLE 48: SEGMENTS BY INTEREST IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (% VERY & FAIRLY INTERESTED)
Bunsen Burner Barry is supremely interested while Negative Nellie is much less interested in science & technology. Penelope Public is close to the average
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
BY EMOTIVE ATTITUDES
I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science 79 83 93 57 50 97
I enjoy finding out about new technologies 84 90 91 72 58 96
BY COGNITIVE ATTITUDESScience and technology are too specialised for
me to understand 35 39 25 48 45 23
There is so much conflicting information about
science, it is hard to know what to believe 51 55 47 60 54 34
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
INTERESTED IN
Developments in science 81 85 94 67 40 99
Taking part in scientific projects of benefit to
your community 63 63 75 42 33 94
Having your say on ethical issues around
science 65 64 77 50 34 91
Having your say on what scientific areas
government should invest in 65 67 73 54 38 85
Doing more science/ technology activities with
your children/young people you spend time with 66 66 76 48 40 93
Learning more about how Mātāuranga Māori
(traditional Maori knowledge) relates to science 41 37 48 30 25 62
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 109
TABLE 49: SEGMENTS BY PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE PERSONALLY AND IN PEOPLES’ STUDY & CAREERS (% AGREE)
Bunsen Burner Barry and Optimistic Ollie find all the areas above more important than the average while Anxious Angela and Negative Nellie find all these areas less important TABLE 50: SEGMENTS BY PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE FOR SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY (% AGREE)
Bunsen Burner Barry, Optimistic Ollie & Penelope Public find all the areas below more important than the average while Anxious Angela and Negative Nellie find all these areas less important
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
Technology is an important subject for people to study at school 90 94 95 83 78 94
Science is an important subject for people to study at school 90 94 97 79 70 95
Science is a worthwhile career to pursue 83 83 90 73 63 96
Knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities 84 85 93 73 67 93
It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues 80 84 90 64 54 96
Science is important in my daily life 59 53 79 34 23 95
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
Science is important for improving human health 91 95 96 85 73 98
Science is important for the preservation of New Zealand's environment 87 90 94 74 68 97
NZ needs to develop its scientific & technology sector in order to enhance its
international competitiveness 83 88 87 71 66 95
Science is important for addressing key challenges affecting our society 82 87 89 70 63 93
The government should fund scientific research even if we can't be sure of
economic benefits 69 73 75 55 47 81
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 110
TABLE 51: SEGMENTS BY ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN THE LAST YEAR (% WHO HAVE UNDERTAKEN ANY ACTIVITY IN EACH AREA)
Bunsen Burner Barry and Optimistic Oliver have conducted the most activities and Negative Nellie the least. Interestingly only Negative Nellie has not conducted any activities at all in the last year, signaling that anything to do with science and technology is actively avoided by this group. TABLE 52: SEGMENTS BY MEDIA ENGAGEMENT WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE LAST YEAR
Bunsen Burner Barry and Optimistic Oliver have engaged in more media activities than the other three segments and in particular are engaging in many more online activities. The only appreciable media activity for Negative Nellie is 22% of this segment having watched a programme with a scientific theme on television.
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
Any Academic Engagement 53 49 81 15 0 100
Any Event Or Attraction-based Engagement 63 68 85 33 0 98
Any Community-based Engagement 51 52 68 23 0 89
Any Work-based Engagement 24 8 38 0 0 79
Any Media Engagement 87 97 99 83 24 100
Any activity at all 92 100 100 100 24 100
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
Any media engagement 87 97 99 83 24 100
Watched a programme with a scientific theme on TV 72 77 84 57 22 95
Read scientific article/s in newspaper/s or magazine/s 56 58 78 24 1 93
Conducted personal research for yourself on the Internet regarding scientific topic/s e.g. health or the environment 46 41 66 21 0 85
Visited an online news site and checked out breaking news about science e.g. on Stuff.co.nz 44 43 62 23 0 75
Viewed a video on a scientific topic online e.g. on YouTube or TED.com 44 38 63 19 0 86
Listened to a scientific topic on the radio e.g. on Radio NZ 34 34 48 11 0 60
Downloaded a science app e.g. the Geonet quake app or bird apps etc. 21 17 28 8 0 50
Read or responded to a blog on a scientific topic 20 15 28 4 0 53
Discussed a scientific matter on a social media site e.g. Facebook 20 12 30 5 0 56
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 111
TABLE 53: SEGMENTS BY ATTITUDES TO LIFE (% AGREE)
Having strong religious beliefs does not differentiate the segments. Anxious Angela and Optimistic Oliver are diametrically opposed on most attitudes except for having strong religious beliefs. It is noteworthy that both Penelope Public and Optimistic Oliver are very attracted to new ideas, suggesting they could be open to lifting their level of engagement with science and technology
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
I am very attracted to new ideas 85 88 96 71 60 95
I believe NZ is heading in the right direction 55 57 64 48 38 54
I am on a very tight budget 61 66 55 66 64 51
I am an environmentalist at heart 61 64 68 50 38 76
I need to do more formal study to advance my
career 39 34 47 29 29 55
A multi-cultural society is a strong society 73 73 81 63 51 88
Everything in NZ is changing too fast 30 32 25 36 30 25
We should make sure NZ keeps its Maori
culture 71 74 77 57 51 86
I have strong religious beliefs 37 38 38 37 34 36
It is important to learn new things throughout
life 94 96 100 90 81 98
Life is a constant struggle for me 27 27 22 33 39 17
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 112
TABLE 54: SEGMENTS BY AGE & GENDER
Both Penelope Public and Anxious Angela have more people aged 55 plus and these segments also have a female skew. Bunsen Burner Barry is more likely to be a male. TABLE 55: SEGMENTS BY REGION
The only differences by region are that Anxious Angela is less likely than other segments to live in a rural area and Bunsen Burner Barry is more likely to live in a provincial city
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
BY AGE
15-24 17 14 20 16 20 20
25-34 15 12 15 15 16 17
35-44 16 18 14 15 11 20
45-54 19 19 21 17 20 20
55+ 33 37 29 37 33 23
BY GENDERMale 48 43 52 44 47 57
Female 52 57 48 56 53 43Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
BY REGION
Auckland 33 33 33 34 32 33
Upper North Island (excl Auckland) 20 21 18 19 24 21
Lower North Island 23 22 22 23 21 25
South Island 24 25 27 24 22 21
BY TYPE OF REGIONA major centre (e.g. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch,
Hamilton and Dunedin) 50 51 53 52 46 42
A provincial city (e.g. Napier, Hastings, Tauranga,
Timaru, Palmerston North) 18 16 17 18 22 25
A provincial town
(e.g. Masterton, Westport, Kaikoura) 18 20 17 20 21 14
A rural area (includes living in a very small town of less
than 200 population) 13 13 13 10 11 19
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 113
TABLE 56: SEGMENTS BY EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Bunsen Burner Barry is the most highly qualified segment and Negative Nellie the least qualified. TABLE 57: SEGMENTS BY ANNUAL INCOME LEVELS
Bunsen Burner Barry and Optimistic Oliver have the highest income levels, while Negative Nellie has the lowest annual income.
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
HIGHEST QUALIFICATION
No Qualification 10 8 6 13 26 4
High school qualification only 33 34 32 42 36 17
Polytechnic / Technical Qualification 23 26 22 23 17 20
University Graduate 20 20 23 13 9 32
Postgraduate Qualification 12 9 15 5 4 25
HAVE SOME FORMAL SCIENTIFIC TRAINING
Yes 24 20 32 10 6 52
No 75 79 68 88 93 48
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
ANNUAL PERSONAL INCOME<$20,000 25 27 22 26 36 16
$20,001 - $40,000 21 23 19 24 24 13
$40,001 - $60,000 15 16 15 15 9 17
$60,001 - $80,000 12 10 13 9 5 22
More than $80,000 11 9 16 5 2 21
ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME<$40,000 22 24 15 28 34 10
$40,001 - $60,000 13 14 10 15 14 11
$60,001 - $80,000 12 13 11 11 7 19
More than $80,000 29 28 37 21 11 43
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 114
TABLE 58: SEGMENTS BY ETHNICITY AND WHETHER BORN IN NZ
Negative Nellie is less likely than other segments to be NZ European/Pākehā.
TOTALPENELOPE
PUBLICOPTIMISTIC
OLIVERANXIOUS ANGELA
NEGATIVE NELLIE
BUNSEN BURNER BARRY
% % % % % %
ETHNICITY Note – multiple responses were allowed
NZ European/Pākehā 80 82 83 80 73 80
Māori 9 7 10 8 13 9
Pacific people 5 5 4 6 8 5
Asian 9 9 7 9 10 9
Other 3 2 4 3 3 3
BORN IN NEW ZEALAND
Yes 76 77 74 76 79 74
No 24 23 26 24 21 26
Base n= 3,004 919 752 584 307 442
KEY: Compared with the total Significantly more Significantly less
Page 115
APPENDICES
Page 116
APPENDIX ONE: COMPARISON OF 2010 WITH 2014 RESULTS Introduction
While the questions asked were modified considerably in the 2014 Survey compared with the 2010 Survey, still
there was a core of questions which remained the same and in this section we examine the changes in these
results from 2010 to 2014.
As covered in Appendix Two following, in general in the current 2014 results there was a considerable
difference between responses which were recorded online versus those recorded via the CATI telephone
method. Therefore in order to compare ‘apples with apples’ in the charts below we separately compare the
online and CATI results in 2010 and 2014. Where we see a significant change occurring for both methods it is
safe to conclude that the change is real rather than methodology related.
FIGURE 35: COMPARING PEOPLES’ UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE& TECHNOLOGY – 2010 VS. 2014
The chart above indicates no significant changes relating to peoples’ understanding of science that are repeated
in both the online and CATI surveys.
For instance, agreement that science and technology is too specialised to understand has increased by 4
percentage points from 44% to 48% in the CATI surveys but decreased from 49% to 40% in the online surveys
(a fall of 9 percentage points). This indicates that changes may have occurred in the two different sample
groups but there is no clear overall trend.
Similarly, looking at the statement there is so much conflicting information, it is hard to know what to believe,
agreement has lifted by 7 percentage points in the CATI survey which is a significant result, but the 2 points
increase in the online survey results is not significant.
21%
23%
17%
14%
7%
9%
3%
6%
23%
25%
32%
26%
17%
22%
17%
16%
26%
11%
20%
26%
27%
13%
21%
28%
18%
27%
26%
23%
29%
37%
42%
35%
9%
12%
5%
9%
19%
18%
16%
13%
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARETOO SPECIALISED FOR ME TO
UNDERSTAND
THERE IS SO MUCH CONFLICTINGINFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE, IT
IS HARD TO KNOW WHAT TOBELIEVE
Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately agree Strongly agree Don't know
Base CATI 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 500; ONLINE 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 2,504. Note that the scale is reversed as the statement is a negative one –disagree is a positive result
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
Page 117
FIGURE 36: COMPARING THE IMPORTANCE OF TWO AREAS RELATING TO THE PERSONAL IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY – 2010 VS. 2014
Again, the chart above indicates no significant changes relating to the importance of the two areas above that are repeated in both the online and CATI surveys
When comparing 2010 with 2014 results, we see a significantly stronger score with those that agree with both statements amongst our CATI respondents but this is not repeated in the online surveys where agreement levels have fallen back a little.
33%
46%
28%
29%
25%
32%
18%
20%
45%
44%
47%
43%
31%
37%
37%
30%
16%
6%
18%
21%
26%
16%
27%
31%
5%
4%
12%
13%
12%
13%
6%
4%
4%
IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE KEPT UP-TO-DATE ONSCIENCE ISSUES
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT IN MY DAILY LIFE
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 500; ONLINE 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 2,504
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
Page 118
FIGURE 37: COMPARING THE IMPORTANCE OF THREE AREAS RELATING TO THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE FOR THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT – 2010 VS. 2014
For the first two statements above, while the CATI survey results have increased appreciably, the online survey results have fallen back a little, indicating no clear overall trend. However, there was a strong lift from 2010 to 2014 in those that agree the Government should fund science
research even if we can’t be sure of economic benefits for both the CATI and online methodologies suggesting
people overall are more positive about spending on ‘pure scientific research’.
43%62%
43%46%
40%52%
44%45%
25%32%
18%26%
40%31%
41%36%
35%39%
36%32%
27%42%
39%38%
13%
11%12%
16%5%
15%14%
27%11%
21%22%
5%
4%
15%10%
17%7%
4%
4%
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESERVATIONOF NEW ZEALAND'S ENVIRONMENT
NZ NEEDS TO DEVELOP ITS SCIENTIFIC &TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN ORDER TO ENHANCE ITS
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS*
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND SCIENTIFICRESEARCH EVEN IF WE CAN'T BE SURE OF
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 500; ONLINE 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 2,504
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
*Note that wording in 2010 survey was “New Zealand needs to develop science in order to enhance our international competitiveness”
Page 119
FIGURE 38: COMPARING THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION PEOPLE SEE AND HEAR ABOUT SCIENCE – 2010 VS. 2014
There was little difference for both survey methods between 2010 and 2014 in the amount of information you see and hear about science these days.
Base CATI 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 500; ONLINE 2010 n= 600, 2014 n= 2,504Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days, would you say you see and hear …?
7%
5%
8%
4%
49%
52%
44%
45%
33%
33%
37%
39%
7%
8%
6%
4%4%
AMOUNT OF INFORMATION YOU SEE ANDHEAR THESE DAYS
Far too much Too much About the right amount Too little Far too little Don't know
CATI 2010
ONLINE 2010
CATI 2014
ONLINE 2014
Page 120
APPENDIX TWO: COMPARISON OF 2014 ONLINE AND CATI SURVEY RESULTS Introduction In both 2010 and 2014 we used a mixed methodology (Online and CATI). This Section looks at the differences between the CATI and Online survey responses in 2014. Most of the differences shown are statistically significant. These differences reflect two main things:
1) Differences in how people respond to CATI surveys vs online surveys 2) Differences in the two samples
In 2010 in general the results were fairly similar between the two methods but a number of differences were also observed such as CATI responses being more polarised (fewer results in the middle of each scale). We believe most of these differences were due to how people respond to CATI surveys compared with online surveys, as the samples were fairly similar involving approximately 80% of the population for both methods. These differences are exaggerated in the current 2014 result. The fact that differences are more exaggerated than in 2010 suggests sample differences account for the widening gap between the two results and this makes sense in that in 2010 a much greater proportion have landlines (used for the CATI interviews) whereas this proportion has fallen off in 2014. Hence, the two samples in 2014 look more different than in 2010 – by 2014 around 85% have access to the Internet from any source compared with 68% with landlines. A key implication of the differences we observed is that careful weighting of the two data sources was required to provide reliable weighted overall results and this is discussed in Appendix Three. The charts following illustrate the main differences between the CATI and Online survey responses in 2014.
Page 121
FIGURE 39: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT ENJOYMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (THE EMOTIVE DIMENSION) – 2014 RESULTS
CATI respondents have stronger positive attitudes when it comes to agreeing that I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science, compared to those who responded to the Online survey (84% vs. 75% Agree). Similarly they are more positive about enjoying finding out about new technologies (89% vs. 80% Agree).
44%
38%
44%
42%
40%
37%
45%
38%
9%
18%
6%
14%
4%
4%
3%
3%
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEWIDEAS IN SCIENCE
I ENJOY FINDING OUT ABOUT NEWTECHNOLOGIES
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 122
FIGURE 40: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (THE COGNITIVE DIMENSION) – 2014 RESULTS
For both statements above the CATI responses are more polarised than the Online results – these people are both more likely to agree and to disagree with these statements.
23%
14%
9%
6%
25%
26%
22%
16%
11%
26%
13%
28%
27%
23%
37%
35%
12%
9%
18%
13%
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARETOO SPECIALISED FOR ME TO
UNDERSTAND
THERE IS SO MUCH CONFLICTINGINFORMATION ABOUT SCIENCE, IT
IS HARD TO KNOW WHAT TOBELIEVE
Strongly disagree Moderately disagree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately agree Strongly agree Don't know
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504. Note that the scale is reversed as the statement is a negative one – disagree is a positive result
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 123
FIGURE 41: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PERSONALLY AND IN PEOPLES’ EDUCATION AND CAREERS – 2014 RESULTS
Similar to the previous questions, CATI Survey respondents have a higher proportion who agree with each
statement, compared with Online Survey respondents. This is particularly marked when looking at science is
important in my daily life, (69% CATI vs. 50% Online) and it is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues
(90% CATI vs. 72% Online).
66%
58%
69%
55%
51%
46%
48%
42%
46%
29%
32%
20%
28%
29%
25%
31%
35%
34%
41%
38%
44%
43%
37%
30%
4%
9%
4%
9%
9%
14%
7%
13%
6%
21%
16%
31%
13%
13%
TECHNOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FORPEOPLE TO STUDY AT SCHOOL
SCIENCE IS AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT FOR PEOPLETO STUDY AT SCHOOL
SCIENCE IS A WORTHWHILE CAREER TO PURSUE
KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE IS USEFUL FORINCREASING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE KEPT UP-TO-DATE ONSCIENCE ISSUES
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT IN MY DAILY LIFE
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 124
FIGURE 42: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY – 2014 RESULTS
Once again CATI respondents more strongly agree with all the statements above relating to the importance of science and technology for society, the environment and the economy.
79%
60%
62%
46%
46%
43%
52%
45%
32%
26%
18%
27%
31%
36%
41%
36%
39%
32%
42%
38%
7%
3%
12%
6%
14%
5%
14%
11%
22%
3%
3%
3%
10%
7%
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING HUMANHEALTH
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESERVATIONOF NEW ZEALAND'S ENVIRONMENT
SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT FOR ADDRESSING KEYCHALLENGES AFFECTING OUR SOCIETY
NZ NEEDS TO DEVELOP ITS SCIENTIFIC &TECHNOLOGY SECTOR IN ORDER TO ENHANCE ITS
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND SCIENTIFICRESEARCH EVEN IF WE CAN'T BE SURE OF
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 125
FIGURE 43: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR TWO OTHER ATTITUDINAL STATEMENTS – 2014 RESULTS
Results are again more polarised in the CATI Survey than in the Online Survey, although in one instance agreement levels are fairly similar i.e. 64% of the CATI group agree that scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think compared with 61% of the Online group.
30%
25%
14%
14%
34%
36%
30%
21%
18%
28%
23%
32%
11%
7%
17%
13%
9%
11%
6%
9%
SCIENTISTS SHOULD LISTEN MORE TO WHATORDINARY PEOPLE THINK
MĀTAURANGA MĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORIKNOWLEDGE) HAS A ROLE IN SCIENCE
Strongly agree Moderately agree Neither agree nor disagree Moderately disagree Strongly disagree Don't know
Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 126
FIGURE 44: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS REGARDING PEOPLES’ LEVEL OF INTEREST IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY – 2014 RESULTS
For four of the six statements above there is considerably stronger agreement from those completing the CATI Survey.
27%
28%
20%
21%
20%
20%
28%
22%
16%
17%
14%
13%
57%
51%
46%
44%
48%
43%
43%
42%
49%
45%
30%
25%
12%
15%
26%
25%
26%
26%
18%
23%
28%
27%
29%
31%
4%
6%
5%
6%
6%
8%
8%
7%
6%
24%
26%
5%
5%
6%
5%
5%
INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE
IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON WHAT SCIENTIFIC AREASGOVERNMENT SHOULD INVEST IN
IN HAVING YOUR SAY ON ETHICAL ISSUESAROUND SCIENCE
IN DOING MORE SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGYACTIVITIES WITH YOUR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE
YOU SPEND TIME WITH
IN TAKING PART IN SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS OFBENEFIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW MĀTAURANGAMĀORI (TRADITIONAL MĀORI KNOWLEDGE)
RELATES TO SCIENCE
Very interested Fairly interested Not very interested Not at all interested Don't know
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
How interested are you in…?
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
CATI
ONLINE
Page 127
FIGURE 45: COMPARING RESULTS FOR THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION PEOPLE RECEIVE ABOUT SCIENCE– 2014 RESULTS
There was only a slight difference between methodologies regarding the amount of information you see and hear these days (52% of the CATI group feel this is about right compared with 45% of the Online Survey group).
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504. Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days, would you say you see and hear …?
5%
4%
52%
45%
33%
39%
8%
4%4%
AMOUNT OF INFORMATION YOU SEE ANDHEAR THESE DAYS
Far too much Too much About the right amount Too little Far too little Don't know
CATI
ONLINE
Page 128
FIGURE 46: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS REGARDING HOW WELL INFORMED PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY – 2014 RESULTS
Again we see a moderate difference in how informed do you feel about developments in science and technology (57% of the CATI group feel fairly well informed versus 52% of the Online Survey group).
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504. How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology?
9%
7%
57%
52%
30%
35%
3%
4%
HOW INFORMED DO YOU FEEL ABOUTDEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY?
Very well informed Fairly well informed Not very well informed Not at all informed Don't know
CATI
ONLINE
Page 129
FIGURE 47: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES PEOPLE HAVE ENGAGED WITH – 2014 RESULTS
Engagement levels are significantly higher amongst our CATI respondents in all the areas above. Indeed 98% of the CATI respondents have engaged in any activity compared with 88% of Online respondents. The following charts demonstrate that these significant differences apply in all activity areas…
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
96%
78%
71%
70%
37%
81%
51%
38%
35%
12%
MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
EVENT OR ATTRACTION BASED ENGAGEMENT
ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY BASED ENGAGEMENT
WORK BASED ENGAGEMENT CATI
ONLINE
88%
ANY ACTIVITY
98%
Page 130
FIGURE 48: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT– 2014 RESULTS
FIGURE 49: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR EVENT OR ATTRACTION-BASED ENGAGEMENT– 2014 RESULTS
40%
39%
37%
30%
31%
19%
15%
15%
10%
9%
HELPED A SCHOOL-AGE CHILD ON A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT
LISTENED TO A LECTURE ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
READ A FORMAL SCIENTIFIC PAPER
VISITED A SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A TECHNOLOGY OR SCIENCE TOPIC
FORMALLY STUDIED A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC CATI
ONLINE
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
38%
ANY ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
71%
61%
38%
31%
27%
41%
21%
9%
8%
VISITED A ZOO, AQUARIUM, MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM OR SCIENCE CENTRE AND CHECKED OUT THE SCIENCE EXHIBITS
VISITED AN ATTRACTION WHERE SCIENCE IS PROFILED IN AN OUTDOOR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT E.G. AN ECO-TOURISM ATTRACTION, SUCH AS
WHALE WATCHING OR VISITING A SEAL COLONY ETC.
ATTENDED A BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY EVENT WHERE THE UPTAKE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IS HIGHLIGHTED
ATTENDED OR PARTICIPATED IN A SCIENCE EVENT
CATI
ONLINE
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
51%
ANY ENGAGEMENTWITH AN EVENT OR
ATTRACTION
78%
Page 131
FIGURE 50: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ENGAGEMENT– 2014 RESULTS
FIGURE 51: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR WORK-BASED ENGAGEMENT– 2014 RESULTS
59%
29%
31%
6%
DONATED MONEY TO SUPPORT SCIENTIFICRESEARCH E.G. CANCER RESEARCH
TOOK PART IN A SCIENTIFIC PROJECT OR DISCUSSION WITHIN MY COMMUNITY
CATI
ONLINE
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
35%
ANY COMMUNITY-BASED ENGAGEMENT
70%
30%
25%
8%
7%
USED SCIENCE TO CREATE A NEW OR IMPROVED PRODUCT OR PRACTISE AT YOUR WORK
UNDERTAKEN ADDITIONAL TRAINING OR EDUCATION IN SCIENCE FOR MY WORK
CATI
ONLINE
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
12%
ANY WORK-BASED ENGAGEMENT
37%
Page 132
FIGURE 52: COMPARING CATI AND ONLINE RESULTS FOR MEDIA ENGAGEMENTWITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – 2014 RESULTS
Note that even with Online activities the CATI group recorded more activities than the Online group.
83%
73%
50%
56%
64%
45%
24%
26%
29%
62%
41%
39%
33%
31%
24%
17%
17%
14%
WATCHED A PROGRAMME WITH A SCIENTIFIC THEME ON TV E.G. A DAVID ATTENBOROUGH DOCUMENTARY AND/OR A POPULAR PROGRAMME LIKE MYTH
BUSTERS
READ SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE/S IN NEWSPAPER/S OR MAGAZINE/S
VISITED AN ONLINE NEWS SITE AND CHECKED OUT BREAKING NEWS ABOUT SCIENCE E.G. ON STUFF.CO.NZ
VIEWED A VIDEO ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ONLINE E.G. ON YOUTUBE OR TED.COM
CONDUCTED PERSONAL RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF ON THE INTERNET REGARDING SCIENTIFIC TOPIC/S E.G. HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT
LISTENED TO A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC ON THE RADIO E.G. ON RADIO NZ
READ OR RESPONDED TO A BLOG ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC
DOWNLOADED A SCIENCE APP E.G. THE GEONET QUAKE APP OR BIRD APPS ETC.
DISCUSSED A SCIENTIFIC MATTER ON A SOCIAL MEDIA SITE E.G. FACEBOOK
CATI
ONLINE
In the last year, which of the following things have you done?
Base CATI n= 500; ONLINE n= 2,504.
81%
ANY MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
96%
Page 133
APPENDIX 3. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WEIGHTING
Introduction
To ensure an accurate representation of the population, the survey data was weighted to reflect population figures for those aged 15 and over from the 2013 Census. This weighting was based on age, gender and Region. Further rim weightings were applied to adjust the results by ethnicity. Finally, the survey data from the online and CATI surveys was weighted according to the proportion of those aged 15 plus who accessed the Internet from any source compared with those having a landline in the household. The source data for this weighting was Q3 2014 results from Nielsen’s Consumer and Media Insights survey which is also weighted by Census data. Weighting variables
Age groups: Four groups: 15 to 24 years, 25 to 39 years, 40 to 54 years and 55+ years.
Gender: Two groups: Male and Female
Region: Auckland, Upper North Island excluding Auckland, Lower North Island and South Island
Ethnicity: Four major ethnic groups: European, Pacific, Māori and Asian
The four ethnic groups were classified as follows:
European vs. non-European
European: made up of NZ European/Pākehā, Other European plus Middle Eastern, Latin and South American (the latter three groups are very small)
Non-European includes only people who did not choose the above options.
Māori vs. non-Māori
Pacific vs. non-Pacific People
Pacific People: made up of Samoan, Cook Island Māori, Tongan, Niuean, Tokelauan, Fijian and Other Pacific People.
Non-Pacific People: made up of everybody who did not choose one of the above.
Asian vs. non-Asian
Asian: made up of Chinese, Indian, Korean, Southeast Asian and Other Asian.
Non-Asian: made up of everybody who did not choose one of the above.
Weighting matrices:
RIM 1 - Age, Gender, Region
POPULATION
count %
Auckland Male 15-24 106,164 3%
25-39 139,674 4%
40-54 144,516 4%
55+ 145,308 4%
Female 15-24 104,979 3%
25-39 154,344 5%
Page 134
40-54 159,198 5%
55+ 165,018 5%
UNI Male 15-24 55,320 2%
25-39 66,429 2%
40-54 84,927 3%
55+ 117,390 3%
Female 15-24 53,862 2%
25-39 74,799 2%
40-54 95,067 3%
55+ 130,266 4%
LNI Male 15-24 64,983 2%
25-39 81,924 2%
40-54 97,116 3%
55+ 119,256 4%
Female 15-24 65,487 2%
25-39 90,351 3%
40-54 106,554 3%
55+ 135,504 4%
SI Male 15-24 70,014 2%
25-39 85,140 3%
40-54 106,350 3%
55+ 137,103 4%
Female 15-24 65,595 2%
25-39 89,457 3%
40-54 113,493 3%
55+ 150,396 4%
3,375,984 100%
RIM 2 – Ethnicity
POPULATION
count %
Maori 396,267 12%
NON-Maori 2,980,104 88%
3,376,371 100%
Pacific 190,422 6%
NON-Pacific 3,185,949 94%
3,376,371 100%
Asian 374,514 11%
NON-Asian 3,001,857 89%
3,376,371 100%
Page 135
European and all other 2,476,230 73%
NON-European and all other 900,141 27%
3,376,371 100%
Total response 3,437,433 Total sample 3,376,371
RIM 3 – Have landline and used Internet past four weeks
CATI (have
landline)
ONLINE (used
Internet) Total
Target population 45% 55% 100%
Weighting efficiency The rim weighting efficiency gives an indication of how well balanced the sample is. If the data for many respondents needs to be heavily weighted up or down, the efficiency percentage will be low - the greater the percentage, the more well balanced the sample.
The weighting efficiency was 86% for the Online survey (excellent) and 76% for the CATI survey (very good), reflecting the respective sample size in each survey (500 CATI interviews vs. 2,504 online interviews).
Page 136
4. Online Questionnaire
This survey is about your attitudes to science and technology and is conducted by Nielsen, the market research company. It should take around 10-12 minutes to complete. To ensure confidentiality, your answers will be amalgamated with hundreds of other responses to gain a national perspective. Your responses will be kept in strict confidence and will not be passed on to any third party. If you would like to view our privacy statement, please click here. To start the survey, please click on the button below. NB. As you move through the survey please use the button >> at the bottom of each screen. Do not use your browser buttons. If you would like to pause the survey so you can return to it later, simply close the window and click on your original link to return. Please note: In this survey you will not have the ability to move backwards after you have responded to a question.
Q1 Please select your gender...[SA]
Code (129)
Route
Male ....................................................................................................................... 1
Female ................................................................................................................... 2
Q2 PLEASE CLOSE IF CODE 1 How old are you?[SA]
Code (130)
Route
Under 15 years ......................................................................................................... 01 CLOSE
15-19 years ............................................................................................................. 02
20-24 years ............................................................................................................. 03
25-29 years ............................................................................................................. 04
30-34 years ............................................................................................................. 05
35-39 years ............................................................................................................. 06
40-44 years ............................................................................................................. 07
45-49 years ............................................................................................................. 08
50-54 years ............................................................................................................. 09
55-59 years ............................................................................................................. 10
60-64 years ............................................................................................................. 11
65-69 years ............................................................................................................. 12
70-74 years ............................................................................................................. 13
75 plus.................................................................................................................... 14
Page 137
Q3 PLEASE CLOSE IF CODE 97 Which region do you live in? [SA]
Code (132)
Route
Northland ................................................................................................................ 01
Auckland - Rodney District .......................................................................................... 02
Auckland - North Shore District .................................................................................... 03
Auckland - Waitakere City ........................................................................................... 04
Auckland - Auckland City ............................................................................................ 05
Auckland - Manukau City ............................................................................................ 06
Auckland - Papakura or Franklin Districts ....................................................................... 07
Waikato .................................................................................................................. 08
Bay of Plenty ............................................................................................................ 09
Gisborne ................................................................................................................. 10
Hawke's Bay ............................................................................................................ 11
Taranaki .................................................................................................................. 12
Manawatu-Wanganui ................................................................................................. 13
Wellington ............................................................................................................... 14
Tasman .................................................................................................................. 15
Nelson .................................................................................................................... 16
Marlborough ............................................................................................................ 17
West Coast .............................................................................................................. 18
Canterbury .............................................................................................................. 19
Otago ..................................................................................................................... 20
Southland ................................................................................................................ 21
None of the above ..................................................................................................... 97 CLOSE
Q4 Which of the following best describes where you live?[SA] PROBE If you live in a rural area within a city or town, please select the rural area option.
Code (142)
Route
A major centre (e.g. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin) .................... 1
A provincial city (e.g. Napier, Hastings, Tauranga, Timaru, Palmerston North) ........................ 2
A provincial town (e.g. Masterton, Westport, Kaikoura) ...................................................... 3
A rural area (includes living in a very small town of less than 200 population) ......................... 4
Page 138
Q5 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-18 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES PLEASE REPEAT THE HEADER AFTER EVERY SEVEN CODES Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them… [SA] PROBE For many of these statements there is no right or wrong answer. It's OK to select don't know, rather than to guess. Please read each statement carefully as some of these are worded positively and some negatively.
Strongly disagree
Moderately disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Moderately agree
Strongly agree
Don't know
(143)
(R1) I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science ................................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(144)
(R2) I enjoy finding out about new technologies ............................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(145)
(R3) Science and technology are too specialised for me to understand ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(146)
(R4)
There is so much conflicting information about science, it is hard to know what to believe ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(147)
(R5) It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues ...................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(148)
(R6) Science is important in my daily life ............................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(149)
(R7)
New Zealand needs to develop science in order to enhance our international competitiveness ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(150)
(R8)
Science is important for the preservation of New Zealand's environment ............................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(151)
(R9) Science is an important subject for people to study at school ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(152)
(R10) Technology is an important subject for people to study at school ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(153)
(R11) Knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities ..................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(154)
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(R12) Science is a worthwhile career to pursue ..................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(155)
(R13) Scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think .................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(156)
(R14)
New Zealand needs to develop its scientific and technology sector in order to enhance its international competitiveness ........................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(157)
(R15) Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) has a role in science................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(158)
(R16)
The Government should fund scientific research even if we can't be sure of economic benefits ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(159)
(R17) Science is important for improving human health ............................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(160)
(R18) Science is important for addressing key challenges affecting our society ............................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
Q6 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology? [SA]
Code (161)
Route
Very well informed ..................................................................................................... 01
Fairly well informed ................................................................................................... 02
Not very well informed ................................................................................................ 03
Not at all informed ..................................................................................................... 04
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
Q7 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days. Would you say you see and hear...? [SA]
Code (171)
Route
Far too much ............................................................................................................ 01
Too much ................................................................................................................ 02
About the right amount ............................................................................................... 03
Too little .................................................................................................................. 04
Far too little .............................................................................................................. 05
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
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Q8 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-25 In the last year, which of the following things have you done? [MA] PROBE Please select as many as apply.
Code (217)
Route
Had a discussion with a scientist .................................................................................. 01
Helped a school-age child on a scientific project .............................................................. 02
Formally studied a scientific topic ................................................................................. 03
Listened to a lecture on a scientific topic ........................................................................ 04
Read a formal scientific paper ...................................................................................... 05
Attended or participated in a science event ..................................................................... 06
Visited a school or university to learn more about a technology or science topic ...................... 07
Visited a zoo, aquarium, museum, planetarium or science centre and checked out the science exhibits ................................................................................................... 08
Attended a business or industry event where the uptake of science and technology is highlighted ............................................................................................................ 10
Used science to create a new or improved product or practise at my work ............................. 11
Undertaken additional training or education in science for my work ...................................... 13
Took part in a scientific project or discussion within my community ...................................... 14
Donated money to support scientific research e.g. cancer research ..................................... 15
Visited an attraction where science is profiled in an outdoor natural environment e.g. an eco-tourism attraction, such as whale watching or visiting a seal colony etc. ................ 16
Read or responded to a blog on a scientific topic ............................................................. 17
Discussed a scientific matter on a social media site e.g. Facebook ...................................... 18
Listened to a scientific topic on the radio e.g. on Radio NZ ................................................. 19
Viewed a video on a scientific topic online e.g. on YouTube or TED.com ............................... 20
Watched a programme with a scientific theme on TV e.g. a David Attenborough documentary and/or a popular programme like Myth Busters .............................................. 21
Read scientific article/s in newspaper/s or magazine/s ...................................................... 22
Visited an online news site and checked out breaking news about science e.g. on Stuff.co.nz ............................................................................................................... 23
Conducted personal research for yourself on the Internet regarding scientific topic/s e.g. health or the environment ...................................................................................... 24
Downloaded a science app e.g. the Geonet quake app or bird apps etc. ............................... 25
None of these things .................................................................................................. 97
Don't know/can't recall................................................................................................ 99
Page 141
Q9 How interested are you...? [SA]
Not at all interested
Not very interested
Fairly interested
Very interested
Don't know
(227)
(R1) In developments in science .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(228)
(R2) In taking part in scientific projects of benefit to your community ..................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(229)
(R3) In having your say on ethical issues around science .................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(230)
(R4) In having your say on what scientific areas government should invest in ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(231)
(R5)
Doing more science/ technology activities with your children/young people you spend time with .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5
(232)
(R6)
Learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science ................................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5
Q10 ONLY ASK IF Q9 = R1 CODE 1 OR 2 (IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EQUALS VERY INTERESTED OR FAIRLY INTERESTED) PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-12 Following are some reasons that other people have given for being interested in science and technology. Which, if any, of these reasons apply for you? [MA] PROBE Please select as many reasons as apply.
Code (233)
Route
I like to think in a scientific way - testing hypotheses and looking for the evidence so I can form an opinion ............................................................................................. 01
I like discovering new scientific ideas ............................................................................. 02
I like discussing new scientific ideas with my friends and family ........................................... 03
I like evaluating and implementing new scientific ideas at work ........................................... 04
I like using scientific approaches at work ........................................................................ 05
It's exciting .............................................................................................................. 06
It feels good to hear about scientific and technological breakthroughs .................................. 07
I have studied science ................................................................................................ 08
There are some great documentaries and articles in the media ........................................... 09
I'm interested in how science and technology can improve our society .................................. 10
Certain areas of scientific discovery are very relevant to me ............................................... 12
Some other reason (please specify) .............................................................................. 98
I don't know ............................................................................................................. 99
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Q11 ONLY ASK IF Q9 = R1 CODE 3 OR 4 (IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EQUALS NOT VERY INTERESTED OR NOT AT ALL INTERESTED). PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-13 Following are some reasons that other people have given for being turned off or not interested in science and technology. Which, if any, of these reasons apply for you? [MA] PROBE Please select as many reasons as apply.
Code (243)
Route
It's just too complicated .............................................................................................. 01
I don't know how to judge whether scientific findings are correct .......................................... 02
A lot of scientific studies have conflicting results .............................................................. 03
Science is not that relevant at my work .......................................................................... 04
It's moving too fast to keep up with ................................................................................ 05
It's boring ................................................................................................................ 06
I have not studied science or technology ........................................................................ 07
School put me off science ........................................................................................... 08
The media doesn't explain it very well ............................................................................ 09
I'd rather leave it to the experts .................................................................................... 10
Other issues are more relevant to me ............................................................................ 11
I don't have the time to get interested ............................................................................ 12
Some other reason (please specify) .............................................................................. 98
I don't know ............................................................................................................. 99
Q12 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-11 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES PLEASE REPEAT THE HEADER AFTER EVERY SIX CODES Finally we have a few questions about yourself and your household to ensure we have talked to a good cross section of the public. This information will be grouped with other responses and you will not be individually identified. And now there are some statements about yourself and your attitudes. Again, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one... [SA]
Strongly disagree
Moderately disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Moderately agree
Strongly agree
Don't know
(253)
(R1) I am very attracted to new ideas.................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(254)
(R2) I believe NZ is heading in the right direction .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(255)
(R3) I am on a very tight budget .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
Page 143
(256)
(R4) I am an environmentalist at heart .................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(257)
(R5) I need to do more formal study to advance my career .................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(258)
(R6) A multi-cultural society is a strong society .................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(259)
(R7) Everything in NZ is changing too fast ......................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(260)
(R8) We should make sure NZ keeps its Māori culture ............................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(261)
(R9) I have strong religious beliefs ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(262)
(R10) Life is a constant struggle for me ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(263)
(R11) It is important to learn new things throughout life ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
Q13 Which of these best describes your household situation? [SA]
Code (264)
Route
Young single living alone ............................................................................................ 1
Group flatting together................................................................................................ 2
Young couple - no children .......................................................................................... 3
Family - mainly preschoolers ....................................................................................... 4
Family - mainly school children .................................................................................... 5
Family - mainly adults ................................................................................................ 6
Older person/couple - no children ................................................................................. 7
Q14 What industry do you work in? [SA] PROBE We are interested in what most applies to you.
Code (265)
Route
Home duties (not otherwise employed) .......................................................................... 01
Retired/superannuitant ............................................................................................... 02
Social welfare beneficiary/unemployed .......................................................................... 03
Student (school) ....................................................................................................... 04
Student (tertiary) ....................................................................................................... 05
Accounting .............................................................................................................. 06
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Advertising, arts and media ......................................................................................... 07
Banking & financial services ........................................................................................ 08
Community services & development .............................................................................. 09
Construction ............................................................................................................ 10
Consulting & strategy ................................................................................................. 11
Design & architecture ................................................................................................. 12
Education & training .................................................................................................. 13
Engineering ............................................................................................................. 14
Farming, animals & conservation .................................................................................. 15
Government & defence............................................................................................... 16
Healthcare & medical ................................................................................................. 17
Hospitality & tourism .................................................................................................. 18
Human resources & recruitment ................................................................................... 19
Information & communication technology ....................................................................... 20
Insurance & superannuation ........................................................................................ 21
Legal ...................................................................................................................... 22
Manufacturing, transport & logistics ............................................................................... 23
Marketing & communications ....................................................................................... 24
Mining, resources & energy ......................................................................................... 25
Real estate & property................................................................................................ 26
Retail & consumer products ......................................................................................... 27
Science & technology................................................................................................. 28
Sport & recreation ..................................................................................................... 29
Trades & services ..................................................................................................... 30
Other (please specify) ................................................................................................ 98
Q15 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES What is your highest qualification? [SA]
Code (275)
Route
High school qualification (e.g. NCEA, School certificate, Sixth Form certificate, Bursary, University Entrance) ...................................................................................... 01
Polytechnic / Technical Qualification (e.g. National Certificate, Diploma) ............................... 02
Undergraduate University Qualification (e.g. Bachelor Degree) ........................................... 03
Postgraduate University Qualification (e.g. Honours Degree, Masters, PhD) .......................... 04
No Qualification ........................................................................................................ 05
Page 145
Other ...................................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 98
Q16 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES Do you have any formal training in science? [SA]
Code (321)
Route
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 01
No ......................................................................................................................... 02
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
Q17 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES Please indicate your personal income per year before tax? [SA]
Code (331)
Route
Under $15,000 ......................................................................................................... 01
$15,000 to $20,000 ................................................................................................... 02
$20,001 to $25,000 ................................................................................................... 03
$25,001 to $30,000 ................................................................................................... 04
$30,001 to $35,000 ................................................................................................... 05
$35,001 to $40,000 ................................................................................................... 06
$40,001 to $50,000 ................................................................................................... 07
$50,001 to $60,000 ................................................................................................... 08
$60,001 to $70,000 ................................................................................................... 09
$70,001 to $80,000 ................................................................................................... 10
$80,001 to $100,000 .................................................................................................. 11
$100,001 to $150,000 ................................................................................................ 12
More than $150,000 .................................................................................................. 13
Prefer not to say ....................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
Q18 PLEASE MAKE "DON'T KNOW" A LIGHTER SHADE THAN THE REST OF THE CODES AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER CODES And what is your total household income per year before tax? [SA]
Code (341)
Route
Under $20,000 ......................................................................................................... 01
$20,001 to $30,000 ................................................................................................... 02
$30,001 to $40,000 ................................................................................................... 03
$40,001 to $50,000 ................................................................................................... 04
$50,001 to $60,000 ................................................................................................... 05
Page 146
$60,001 to $70,000 ................................................................................................... 06
$70,001 to $80,000 ................................................................................................... 07
$80,001 to $100,000 .................................................................................................. 08
$100,001 to $150,000 ................................................................................................ 09
More than $150,000 .................................................................................................. 10
Prefer not to say ....................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
Q19 Which of these best describes your ethnicity? [MA] PROBE Please select as many as apply.
Code (351)
Route
NZ European/ Pākehā ................................................................................................ 01
Other European ........................................................................................................ 02
Māori ...................................................................................................................... 03
Samoan .................................................................................................................. 04
Cook Islands Māori .................................................................................................... 05
Tongan ................................................................................................................... 06
Niuean .................................................................................................................... 07
Tokelauan ............................................................................................................... 08
Fijian ...................................................................................................................... 09
Other Pacific peoples ................................................................................................. 10
Chinese .................................................................................................................. 11
Indian ..................................................................................................................... 12
Korean.................................................................................................................... 13
Southeast Asian ....................................................................................................... 14
Other Asian ............................................................................................................. 15
Middle Eastern ......................................................................................................... 16
Latin American ......................................................................................................... 17
African .................................................................................................................... 18
Some other ethnicity (please specify) ............................................................................ 98
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Q20 Were you born in New Zealand? [SA]
Code (361)
Route
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1 Q22
No ......................................................................................................................... 2 Q21
Q21 ONLY ASK IF Q20 = CODE 2 (NOT BORN IN NZ) How long, in total, have you lived in New Zealand? [SA]
Code (362)
Route
Less than 1 year ....................................................................................................... 1
1 or 2 years ............................................................................................................. 2
3 to 6 years ............................................................................................................ 3
7 to 10 years ........................................................................................................... 4
11 to 14 years .......................................................................................................... 5
15 years or more ..................................................................................................... 6
Page 148
5. CATI Questionnaire ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is (insert name) calling from Infield on behalf of Nielsen, the market research company. We are conducting a brief survey about your attitudes to science and technology. We are keen to hear your opinions. This is not a sales call, and your identity will be kept confidential. Can we please speak to the person in the household who is 15 years or older who has the next birthday? RE-INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TOPIC IF NECESSARY. Could you please spare a few minutes of your time to answer some questions? IF NECESSARY: It should only take about 12 minutes IF RESPONDENT SAYS THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SCIENCE: We are still interested in your views IF REQUIRED: MAKE APPOINTMENT TO CALLBACK IF ACCEPTED: This call will be recorded for our internal quality control purposes. Is this okay with you? Yes, agree to be recorded 1 No, don’t want interview recorded 2
Q1 CODE GENDER BY OBSERVATION
Code (129)
Route
Male ....................................................................................................................... 1
Female ................................................................................................................... 2
Q2 PLEASE CLOSE IF CODE 1 Firstly we need to find out a few things about you. Approximately how old are you? CODE FROM LIST BELOW IF NECESSARY: Which of the following age groups are you in? [SA] READ OUT
Code (130)
Route
Under 15 years ......................................................................................................... 01 CLOSE
15-19 years ............................................................................................................. 02
20-24 years ............................................................................................................. 03
25-29 years ............................................................................................................. 04
30-34 years ............................................................................................................. 05
35-39 years ............................................................................................................. 06
40-44 years ............................................................................................................. 07
45-49 years ............................................................................................................. 08
50-54 years ............................................................................................................. 09
Page 149
55-59 years ............................................................................................................. 10
60-64 years ............................................................................................................. 11
65-69 years ............................................................................................................. 12
70-74 years ............................................................................................................. 13
75 plus.................................................................................................................... 14
Q3 PLEASE CLOSE IF CODE 97 Which region do you live in? [SA] READ OUT USE PHONE STD CODE AS A GUIDE TO REGIONS
Code (132)
Route
Northland ................................................................................................................ 01
Auckland - Rodney District .......................................................................................... 02
Auckland - North Shore District .................................................................................... 03
Auckland - Waitakere City ........................................................................................... 04
Auckland - Auckland City ............................................................................................ 05
Auckland - Manukau City ............................................................................................ 06
Auckland - Papakura or Franklin Districts ....................................................................... 07
Waikato .................................................................................................................. 08
Bay of Plenty ............................................................................................................ 09
Gisborne ................................................................................................................. 10
Hawke's Bay ............................................................................................................ 11
Taranaki .................................................................................................................. 12
Manawatu-Wanganui ................................................................................................. 13
Wellington ............................................................................................................... 14
Tasman .................................................................................................................. 15
Nelson .................................................................................................................... 16
Marlborough ............................................................................................................ 17
West Coast .............................................................................................................. 18
Canterbury .............................................................................................................. 19
Otago ..................................................................................................................... 20
Southland ................................................................................................................ 21
DO NOT READ None of the above ............................................................................... 97 CLOSE
STD CODE 09
STD CODE 07
STD CODE 06
STD CODE 04
STD CODE 03
Page 150
Q4 Which of the following best describes where you live? [SA] READ OUT EXPLAIN IF NECESSARY: If you live in a rural area within a city or town, this would be classified as a rural area.
Code (142)
Route
A major centre (e.g. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin) .................... 1
A provincial city (e.g. Napier, Hastings, Tauranga, Timaru, Palmerston North) ........................ 2
A provincial town (e.g. Masterton, Westport, Kaikoura) ...................................................... 3
A rural area (includes living in a very small town of less than 200 population) ......................... 4
Q5 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-18 Next are some statements some people have made about science and technology. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with them…? [SA] PROBE For many of these statements there is no right or wrong answer. It's OK to say don't know, rather than to guess. Please listen to each statement carefully as some of these are worded positively and some negatively. This question uses a scale as follows READ OUT SCALE
Strongly disagree
Moderately disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Moderately agree
Strongly agree
Don't know
(143)
(R1) I enjoy finding out about new ideas in science ................................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(144)
(R2) I enjoy finding out about new technologies ............................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(145)
(R3) Science and technology are too specialised for me to understand ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(146)
(R4)
There is so much conflicting information about science, it is hard to know what to believe ............................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(147)
(R5) It is important to be kept up-to-date on science issues ...................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(148)
(R6) Science is important in my daily life ............................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(149)
(R7)
New Zealand needs to develop science in order to enhance our international competitiveness ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(150)
(R8)
Science is important for the preservation of New Zealand's environment ............................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(151)
Page 151
(R9) Science is an important subject for people to study at school ............................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(152)
(R10) Technology is an important subject for people to study at school ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(153)
(R11) Knowledge of science is useful for increasing career opportunities ..................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(154)
(R12) Science is a worthwhile career to pursue ..................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(155)
(R13) Scientists should listen more to what ordinary people think .................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(156)
(R14)
New Zealand needs to develop its scientific and technology sector in order to enhance its international competitiveness ........................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(157)
(R15) Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) has a role in science................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(158)
(R16)
The Government should fund scientific research even if we can't be sure of economic benefits ........................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(159)
(R17) Science is important for improving human health ............................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(160)
(R18) Science is important for addressing key challenges affecting our society ............................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
Q6 How informed do you feel about developments in science and technology? [SA] READ OUT
Code (161)
Route
Very well informed ..................................................................................................... 01
Fairly well informed ................................................................................................... 02
Not very well informed ................................................................................................ 03
Not at all informed ..................................................................................................... 04
DON’T READ Don't know .......................................................................................... 99
Page 152
Q7 Thinking now about the amount of information you see and hear about science these days. Would you say you see and hear...? [SA] READ OUT
Code (171)
Route
Far too much ............................................................................................................ 01
Too much ................................................................................................................ 02
About the right amount ............................................................................................... 03
Too little .................................................................................................................. 04
Far too little .............................................................................................................. 05
DON’T READ Don't know .......................................................................................... 99
Q8 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-25 In the last year, which of the following things have you done? [MA] As I read through the list please say yes or no to each one. Have you…? READ OUT AND CODE IF A ‘YES’ RESPONSE
Code (217)
Route
Had a discussion with a scientist .................................................................................. 01
Helped a school-age child on a scientific project .............................................................. 02
Formally studied a scientific topic ................................................................................. 03
Listened to a lecture on a scientific topic ........................................................................ 04
Read a formal scientific paper ...................................................................................... 05
Attended or participated in a science event ..................................................................... 06
Visited a school or university to learn more about a technology or science topic ......................
07
Visited a zoo, aquarium,museum, planetarium or science centre and checked out the science exhibits ........................................................................................................ 08
Attended a business or industry event where the uptake of science and technology is highlighted ............................................................................................................... 10
Used science to create a new or improved product or practise at your work ........................... 11
Undertaken additional training or education in science for your work .................................... 13
Taken part in a scientific project or discussion within your community ................................... 14
Donated money to support scientific research e.g. cancer research ..................................... 15
Visited an attraction where science is profiled in an outdoor natural environment ONLY READ EXAMPLE IF NECESSARY: e.g. an eco-tourism attraction, such as whale watching, or visiting a seal colony etc. ................................................................... 16
Read or responded to a blog on a scientific topic ............................................................. 17
Discussed a scientific matter on a social media site e.g. Facebook ...................................... 18
Listened to a scientific topic on the radio e.g. on Radio NZ ................................................. 19
Viewed a video on a scientific topic online e.g. on YouTube or TED.com ............................... 20
Watched a programme with a scientific theme on TV e.g. a David Attenborough documentary and/or a popular programme like Myth Busters .............................................. 21
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Read scientific article/s in newspaper/s or magazine/s ...................................................... 22
Visited an online news site and checked out breaking news about science ONLY READ EXAMPLE IF NECESSARY: e.g. on Stuff.co.nz ..................................................... 23
Conducted personal research for yourself on the Internet regarding scientific topic/s e.g. health or the environment ...................................................................................... 24
Downloaded a science app e.g. the Geonet quake app or bird apps etc. ............................... 25
DON’T READ IF YES TO ANY AREA ABOVE None of these things ................................... 97
DON’T READ Don't know/can't recall ............................................................................ 99
Q9 The next question uses a scale READ OUT SCALE So, how interested are you...? [SA]
Not at all interested
Not very interested
Fairly interested
Very interested
Don't know
(227)
(R1) In developments in science .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(228)
(R2) In taking part in scientific projects of benefit to your community ..................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(229)
(R3) In having your say on ethical issues around science .................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(230)
(R4) In having your say on what scientific areas government should invest in ......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(231)
(R5)
Doing more science/ technology activities with your children or young people you spend time with ......................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5
(232)
(R6)
Learning more about how Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) relates to science ................................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5
Q10 ONLY ASK IF Q9 = R1 CODE 3 OR 4 (IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EQUALS VERY INTERESTED OR FAIRLY INTERESTED) PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-12 You said you are interested in developments in science and technology… Why is that? DO NOT READ OUT AND CODE AS APPROPRIATE
Code (233)
Route
I like to think in a scientific way - testing hypotheses and looking for the evidence so I can form an opinion ............................................................................................. 01
I like discovering new scientific ideas ............................................................................. 02
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I like discussing new scientific ideas with my friends and family ........................................... 03
I like evaluating and implementing new scientific ideas at work ........................................... 04
I like using scientific approaches at work ........................................................................ 05
Science is exciting ..................................................................................................... 06
It feels good to hear about scientific and technological breakthroughs .................................. 07
I have studied science ................................................................................................ 08
There are some great documentaries and articles in the media about science ........................ 09
I'm interested in how science and technology can improve our society .................................. 10
Certain areas of scientific discovery are very relevant to me ............................................... 12
Some other reason for being interested in science and technology (please specify) ................. 98
I don't know ............................................................................................................. 99
Q11 ONLY ASK IF Q9 = R1 CODE 1 OR 2 (IN DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EQUALS NOT VERY INTERESTED OR NOT AT ALL INTERESTED) PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-13 You said you are not interested in developments in science and technology… Why is that? DO NOT READ OUT AND CODE AS APPROPRIATE
Code (243)
Route
It's just too complicated .............................................................................................. 01
I don't know how to judge whether scientific findings are correct .......................................... 02
A lot of scientific studies have conflicting results .............................................................. 03
Science is not that relevant at my work .......................................................................... 04
It's moving too fast to keep up with ................................................................................ 05
It's boring ................................................................................................................ 06
I have not studied science or technology ........................................................................ 07
School put me off science ........................................................................................... 08
The media doesn't explain it very well ............................................................................ 09
I'd rather leave it to the experts .................................................................................... 10
Other issues are more relevant to me ............................................................................ 11
I don't have the time to get interested ............................................................................ 12
Some other reason (please specify) ........................................................................ 98
I don't know ............................................................................................................. 99
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Q12 PLEASE ROTATE CODES 1-11 Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements using the scale READ SCALE.. [SA]
Strongly disagree
Moderately disagree
Neither agree nor disagree
Moderately agree
Strongly agree
Don't know
(253)
(R1) I am very attracted to new ideas.................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(254)
(R2) I believe NZ is heading in the right direction .................................................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(255)
(R3) I am on a very tight budget .......................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(256)
(R4) I am an environmentalist at heart .................................................................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6
(257)
(R5) I need to do more formal study to advance my career .................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(258)
(R6) A multi-cultural society is a strong society .................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(259)
(R7) Everything in NZ is changing too fast ......................................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(260)
(R8) We should make sure NZ keeps its Māori culture ............................................................................................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6
(261)
(R9) I have strong religious beliefs ....................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(262)
(R10) Life is a constant struggle for me ................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
(263)
(R11) It is important to learn new things throughout life ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3 4 5 6
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Q13 Finally we have a few questions about yourself and your household. READ IF NECESSARY: This information will be grouped with other responses and you will not be individually identified. Which of these best describes your household situation? [SA] READ OUT
Code (264)
Route
DO NOT READ IF AGED 40 OR MORE FROM Q2 Young single living alone ........................ 1
Group flatting together................................................................................................ 2
DO NOT READ IF AGED 40 OR MORE FROM Q2 Young couple - no children ...................... 3
Family - mainly preschoolers ....................................................................................... 4
Family - mainly school children .................................................................................... 5
Family - mainly adults ................................................................................................ 6
DO NOT READ IF AGED LESS THAN 40 FROM Q2 Older person/couple - no children ................................................................................................................... 7
Q14 What industry do you work in? [SA] PROBE We are interested in what most applies to you. WORK WITH RESPONDENT TO FIND THE CORRECT CODE. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO CODE DIRECTLY FROM WHAT THEY SAY. IF NECESSARY IF THEY ARE NOT WORKING READ OUT CODES 01 TO 05. IF THEY ARE WORKING READ OUT CODES 06 TO 30. IF CODES DO NOT MATCH THEIR OCCUPATION RECORD IN ‘OTHER SPECIFY’.
Code (265)
Route
Home duties (not otherwise employed) .......................................................................... 01
Retired/superannuitant ............................................................................................... 02
Social welfare beneficiary/unemployed .......................................................................... 03
Student (school) ....................................................................................................... 04
Student (tertiary) ....................................................................................................... 05
Accounting .............................................................................................................. 06
Advertising, arts and media ......................................................................................... 07
Banking & financial services ........................................................................................ 08
Community services & development .............................................................................. 09
Construction ............................................................................................................ 10
Consulting & strategy ................................................................................................. 11
Design & architecture ................................................................................................. 12
Education & training .................................................................................................. 13
Engineering ............................................................................................................. 14
Farming, animals & conservation .................................................................................. 15
Government & defence............................................................................................... 16
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Healthcare & medical ................................................................................................. 17
Hospitality & tourism .................................................................................................. 18
Human resources & recruitment ................................................................................... 19
Information & communication technology ....................................................................... 20
Insurance & superannuation ........................................................................................ 21
Legal ...................................................................................................................... 22
Manufacturing, transport & logistics ............................................................................... 23
Marketing & communications ....................................................................................... 24
Mining, resources & energy ......................................................................................... 25
Real estate & property................................................................................................ 26
Retail & consumer products ......................................................................................... 27
Science & technology................................................................................................. 28
Sport & recreation ..................................................................................................... 29
Trades & services ..................................................................................................... 30
Other (please specify) ................................................................................................ 98
Q15 What is your highest education qualification? [SA] ONLY READ EXAMPLES IF NECESSARY
Code (275)
Route
High school qualification (e.g. NCEA, School certificate, Sixth Form certificate, Bursary, University Entrance) ...................................................................................... 01
Polytechnic / Technical Qualification (e.g. National Certificate, Diploma) ............................... 02
Undergraduate University Qualification (e.g. Bachelor Degree) ........................................... 03
Postgraduate University Qualification (e.g. Honours Degree, Masters, PhD) .......................... 04
No Qualification ........................................................................................................ 05
Other ...................................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 98
Q16 Do you have any formal training in science? [SA]
Code (321)
Route
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 01
No ......................................................................................................................... 02
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
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Q17 What is your personal income per year before tax? [SA] READ OUT. TO SPEED THINGS UP, START BY SETTING THE RANGE – E.G. “Is it more than $70,000? Is it less than $35,000? THEN READ CODES IN THAT RANGE.
Code (331)
Route
Under $15,000 ......................................................................................................... 01
$15,000 to $20,000 ................................................................................................... 02
$20,001 to $25,000 ................................................................................................... 03
$25,001 to $30,000 ................................................................................................... 04
$30,001 to $35,000 ................................................................................................... 05
$35,001 to $40,000 ................................................................................................... 06
$40,001 to $50,000 ................................................................................................... 07
$50,001 to $60,000 ................................................................................................... 08
$60,001 to $70,000 ................................................................................................... 09
$70,001 to $80,000 ................................................................................................... 10
$80,001 to $100,000 .................................................................................................. 11
$100,001 to $150,000 ................................................................................................ 12
More than $150,000 .................................................................................................. 13
Prefer not to say ....................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
Q18 HOUSEHOLD INCOME MUST BE MORE THAN OR EQUAL TO PERSONAL INCOME PROVIDED AT Q17 And what is your total household income per year before tax? [SA] READ OUT. TO SPEED THINGS UP, START BY ASKING – “Is it the same as your personal income? IF SO, READ CODES IN THT RANGE. IF MORE, WORK WITH RESPONDENT TO ESTABLISH CORRECT RANGE.
Code (341)
Route
Under $20,000 ......................................................................................................... 01
$20,001 to $30,000 ................................................................................................... 02
$30,001 to $40,000 ................................................................................................... 03
$40,001 to $50,000 ................................................................................................... 04
$50,001 to $60,000 ................................................................................................... 05
$60,001 to $70,000 ................................................................................................... 06
$70,001 to $80,000 ................................................................................................... 07
$80,001 to $100,000 .................................................................................................. 08
$100,001 to $150,000 ................................................................................................ 09
More than $150,000 .................................................................................................. 10
Prefer not to say ....................................................................................................... 97
Don't know .............................................................................................................. 99
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Q19 Which of these best describes your ethnicity? [MA] PROBE Please select as many as apply. READ OUT IF NECESSARY
Code (351)
Route
NZ European/ Pākehā ................................................................................................ 01
Other European ........................................................................................................ 02
Māori ...................................................................................................................... 03
Samoan .................................................................................................................. 04
Cook Islands Māori .................................................................................................... 05
Tongan ................................................................................................................... 06
Niuean .................................................................................................................... 07
Tokelauan ............................................................................................................... 08
Fijian ...................................................................................................................... 09
Other Pacific peoples ................................................................................................. 10
Chinese .................................................................................................................. 11
Indian ..................................................................................................................... 12
Korean.................................................................................................................... 13
Southeast Asian ....................................................................................................... 14
Other Asian ............................................................................................................. 15
Middle Eastern ......................................................................................................... 16
Latin American ......................................................................................................... 17
African .................................................................................................................... 18
Some other ethnicity (please specify) ............................................................................ 98
Q20 Were you born in New Zealand? [SA] Code (361)
Route
Yes ........................................................................................................................ 1 Q22
No ......................................................................................................................... 2 Q21
Q21 ONLY ASK IF Q20 = CODE 2 (NOT BORN IN NZ) How long, in total, have you lived in New Zealand? [SA] READ IF NECESSARY
Code (362)
Route
Less than 1 year ....................................................................................................... 1
1 or 2 years ............................................................................................................. 2
3 to 6 years ............................................................................................................ 3
7 to 10 years ........................................................................................................... 4
11 to 14 years .......................................................................................................... 5
15 years or more ..................................................................................................... 6
Thank you for your time, just to remind you my name is (insert name) and I am calling from Infield on behalf of Nielsen. If you have any questions about this research you can contact Mary Wignall on 09 6311732. As this is market research, it is carried out in compliance with the Privacy Act and the information you provided will be used only for research purposes. Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request access to the information you have provided.