Declared religious beliefs and attitudes toward science among the public in Chile

A traditional view of scientific culture and the general public's attitude toward science is that they depend largely on the level of scientific literacy in a given population. However, more recent studies on scientific culture question this perspective and highlight the importance of social context and factors like family environment, cultural frame, and educational experiences in shaping disposition towards science. Especially important among these factors is trust, both in science as an institution and in the relevant actors involved in the production of scientific knowledge: from scientists, universities, and politicians to the science teacher who represents children’s first and frequently formative contact with science. Within this framework, religious beliefs or a lack thereof can be considered a relevant dimension of the sociocultural context that shapes the public’s view of science and its role in society. From the perspective of teaching and learning, exploring the impact of this factor can help understand what barriers and opportunities exist to the penetration of scientific knowledge within the wider society.

In this study, we used a quantitative, exploratory, ex post facto analytical methodology of data from the third version of the Chilean government’s Survey of the Social Perception of Science and Technology (EPSCT). We aimed to analyze the relationship between the degree of declared religious belief and its association with indicators related to interest in science, trust in scientific knowledge, and perception of the benefits of science and technology, among others. Our results show differentiated patterns between groups with different declared levels of religious beliefs in their attitudes towards science and technology. This highlights the relevance of cultural dimensions in the relationship between the individual and science, and how a better understanding of these sociocultural relationships can contribute to more inclusive educational strategies.