Approximately 30% of the Austrian population are skeptical about science, more than a third rely on common sense instead of science (oeaw.ac.at/sciencebarometer). But how do we arrive at these opinions and attitudes?
Surveys of the population on various topics are not only the basis for such results but also an important part of social science research. In the coming month, Students from 6th and 7th grades at BORG Wr.Neustadt will be taking part in several workshops on how to create, conduct, and evaluate surveys, i.e. how to work in social sciences. In addition, the students themselves are surveyed before and after the workshops in order to record any possible changes in their understanding of science.
The kick-off meeting for this part of the INSE project took place at the PH Baden, where the students and their teachers were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Gregor Jöstl and given an introduction to the project. In a final brainstorming session, the first ideas for suitable topics for the planned surveys were born, and we look forward to further reporting!
At the same time, the young people were able to “get a taste of the lecture hall atmosphere” and get their first impression of a university.
