Importance of communicating science to the general public: an empirical study of top Indian scientists

Abstract

Over the last few decades, science com-munication has gained importance and has not only emerged as a buzzword in scientific and academic circles but has also caught the attention of the public, policymakers and politicians. It is evolv-ing as an area of academic and profes-sional expertise (Priest,2010; Trench and Bucchi,2010; Rajput,2017). Across the globe, the importance of science commu-nication and the active involvement of sci-entists in public engagement activities have been recognised (e.g. Royal Society,1985; Royal Society,2006; Wellcome Trust,2001; Nisbet and Scheufele,2009; Dudo and Besley,2016).Several studies, in different parts of the world, have investigated scientists’ percep-tions and attitudes about science commu-nication (e.g. Wellcome Trust,2001; Royal Society,2006; Nielsen et al.,2007; Martin-Sempere et al.,2008; Guerrero,2016; Loroño-Leturiondo and Davies,2018; Merino and Navarro,2019; Valinciute,2020). However, studies exploring Indian scientists’ perspec-tives on science communication are rare.