Stop thinking of science as 'too difficult', plead campaigners

People in the UK must stop thinking of science as too difficult and scientists as elitist, the science minister Lord Drayson said today.

He has enlisted the help of celebrities – including authors Terry Pratchett and Bill Bryson, and the celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal – to change attitudes towards the subject.

They will meet ministers in Downing Street today to launch the government's Science: So What? So Everything campaign.

He said: "Continued success in science and technology is vital to our future – and yet there is still a perception among many of our people that science is too clever for them or elitist in some way."

The UK was second only to the US in its scientific discoveries and inventions, noted Drayson. "We must challenge myths like these if we are to build a prosperous, science-literate society, able to tackle the difficult issues that modern science presents and work them through to create the jobs and growth of the future."

Ministers believe 2.9m jobs could be created in science and technology fields by 2017.

A government-commissioned poll of 2,100 adults this month found 48% expected science to find a cure for cancer and 38% expected crops to be invented that survive drought, both within 30 years. Some 26% argued that science had more of an impact on their lives than politics, family and religion. But only 3% said scientists were the group of people that had the most effect on their lives.

Diana Garnham, chief executive of the Science Council, said the UK needed to "get away from the elitist, geeky image" that science suffers from.

"Research shows [young people] aren't persuaded by arguments that they will earn more if they get into science," she said.

George Monbiot, a Guardian commentator and environmental campaigner, said the government's campaign should not promote one group's interests. "The conflation of improving the country's scientific literacy with the promoting of industrial interests of a particular group is dishonest and I hope this won't happen with this campaign," he said.

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