Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ 1 in 4 youth ‘may ignore science,’ leading to calls for improved communications

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Everything in this alarmist post depends on what you mean by 'science'. The article summarizes a report describing an Ipsos poll on youth and science conducted for the Canada Foundation for Innovation. "The survey made clear that young adults are navigating an extremely complex and diverse information ecosystem where they are inevitably exposed to fake news and anti-science information." But let's not focus on the 'influencer' who has expressed anti-science views. They're just as likely (if not more so) to have heard these views on television, or perhaps in the opinion pages of their local newspaper. A case in point, for example, is the article that depicts 'science' as though it represents a single uniform perspective. Science informs but it does not decide. We base our views and opinions on a variety of factors. These include ethics, religion, economic interests, and background beliefs about the world. And youth, I think, know this.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024 2:48 p.m.

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