Young people positive about science benefits - study

Young people in Ireland are more positive about the benefits that science and technology can bring than many of their counterparts in other EU Member States, a new study has found.

According to the Eurobarometer survey, which measures attitudes to science and technology, more than one-third of Europeans believe that science brings more benefits than harm, with 54 per cent of young Irish people strongly agreeing with the statement, the second highest rating in the EU behind Lithuania.

Almost 25,000 15-25 year olds from across the 27 EU countries took part in the study, which was conducted in September.

Overall, 88 per cent of Irish people said they thought that science and technology brought benefits, while 61 per cent said they thought it would help to eliminate poverty and hunger around the world.

Young Irish people were also more likely to agree that long-term advances in technology would create jobs rather than eliminate them. They were among the least suspicious across the EU in terms of their beliefs about the impact of money on scientific research with just 34 per cent of respondents strongly agreeing that profit had too much influence on science. This compares with 71 per cent of young people in Greece.

However, while young Irish people are generally in favour of science and technology, there are concerns about the risks associated. According to the study, 86 per cent of young people think that there's a health risk involved in living near a nuclear power plant and more than half think that GM foods pose a health risk.

Up to 40 per cent said they think that using a mobile phone may be detrimental to their health and nearly 6 out of ten feel that living near high tension power lines might be dangerous.

Young Irish people were also found to be wary of nuclear technology with 60 per cent agreeing that there were more risks than benefits to nuclear energy innovations. Only the Greeks and the Austrians are more fearful of the potential risks.

However in fields such as human embryo research and mobile phone technology, Irish respondents said they believe that the benefits of scientific advances outweigh the risks.

The survey indicates that less than a third of 15-25 year-olds in Ireland are thinking about studying biology, medicine or engineering and only a fifth are considering studying natural sciences.

As many as 85 per cent of young Irish people think that EU should spend more money on research and 79 per cent think the government should increase spending on scientific research.