Australian researcher Dr Carol Oliver reflects on belief in
angels and UFOs during a visit to Dunedin's Northern
Cemetery. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Poor levels of scientific literacy in Western countries,
including New Zealand, are "highly disturbing", Australian
science communication researcher Dr Carol Oliver says.
Dr Oliver was in Dunedin this week to gave a lecture at the
University of Otago on "Miracles, angels, UFOs and
fortune-telling" and aspects of science communication.
A recent Nielsen survey showed 63% of Australians believed in
miracles, 51% in angels, and 34% in UFOs, she said.
Most Australians (55%) preferred a God-guided or biblical
account of the development of human beings over Darwinian
evolution.
In the United States, 79% of Americans believed in miracles,
68% in angels and demons, and 36% in alien visitations, with
only a "staggeringly low" 40% of people believing the
Darwinian account of evolution, she said.
A recent Massey University survey also found 39% of New
Zealand adults believed fortune-tellers could predict the
future, 28% that good luck charms worked and 25% that star
signs affected an individual's future.
Most adults in the Western world were considered
scientifically illiterate, and this was unchanged in about 50
years of regular measurement.
Dr Oliver, of the University of New South Wales, said in an
interview that poor understanding of science could cause many
difficulties, including for juries trying to interpret
scientific evidence, and for people trying to grasp climate
change and related issues.
There was scope to further improve the communication skills
of scientists, and the establishment of Otago University's
Centre for Science Communication was a positive move, she
said.
john.gibb@odt.co.nz
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