Scientific broadcasting and young people’s career choices (1995)

At a time when science has now definitively extended its dominance over all areas of knowledge, it is appropriate to question the way in which citizens, especially the youngest, experience their relationship with it. The progressive and continuous growth that scientific and technological progress has brought to economic activity and, in general, to the quality of life in countries with the most advanced levels of development, makes it necessary to reflect on the position occupied by science “in the imagination” of young people. The need therefore arises to examine in greater depth the forms, quality and possible weaknesses of the processes of transmission and acquisition of scientific culture among the younger generations, focusing above all on the various opportunities for learning. In this context, schools represent the most suitable scenario for “photographing” the attitudes, preferences, but also the shortcomings of young people with regard to scientific topics. To this end, Eurispes carried out the present survey involving a sample of 1,237 junior and senior high school students distributed throughout the country. The fundamental question was whether television can be a support tool and a likely channel for the dissemination of science, or an insidious obstacle that risks diverting the attention of young people from studying and deepening their knowledge independently.