How engaged and connected are young people to science?

The British Science Association (BSA) has collated and analysed all of its data on youth perspectives, to provide a valuable collection of insights into what young people think about science.

In this section, the BSA gauges how engaged and connected young people are to science, and explores the factors that influence their engagement.

Click here see the rest of our Youth Insights Data

Key highlights:

• Despite feeling more connected to science, 18-year-olds exhibit a lower agreement with statements emphasising the importance of science and the need for everyone to take an interest in it

• The data reveals that as young people grow older, their connection towards science becomes more polarised

• As young people get older, the proportion who consider themselves informed about scientific research also slightly increases

Despite feeling more connected to science, 18-year-olds exhibit a lower agreement with statements emphasising the importance of science and the need for everyone to take an interest in it.

When it comes to science, young people have shown a significant level of interest and engagement. 78% of respondents believe that everyone should take an interest in science, demonstrating the importance that young people place on the potential of science to shape and influence our lives.

Young people & science

Source: Multiple Surveys, UK 14-to-18-year-olds, 2020-2023 (n = 6,045)

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Young people who agree that everyone should take an interest in science

 

Source: Multiple Surveys, UK 14-to-18-year-olds, 2020-2022 (n = 2,000)

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However, a significant contrast emerges when comparing the views of 18-year-olds to their younger counterparts.

This disparity suggests a potential gap between the knowledge young people acquire and its perceived relevance to their lives. It raises questions about how effectively science education meets the needs and interests of young people entering adulthood, as they appear to attach less significance to science as they mature. This disparity might also be due to the way science is increasingly siloed as a 'specialist subject' as young people grow older and move towards further and higher education. 

Young people agreeing that science is important, by age

Source: Science and Kids, UK 14 18-year-olds, 2022 (n = 2,000)

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The data reveals that as young people grow older, their connection towards science becomes more polarised.

They are more likely to feel strongly connected or uninterested in science as they grow older. This highlights the need to ensure science remains relevant to people, even when they’re not pursuing it as a career.

This trend may also suggest that young people grow more certain of themselves as they mature. It is therefore essential that exposure to science throughout their formative years fosters a deeper understanding of the subject and cultivates enduring curiosity.