Today’s young people have grown up in a world in which science is increasingly scrutinised by the public, whether the pandemic response, climate change policies or the effects that artificial intelligence is having on our lives. The survey shows that 16–24-year-olds were among the most informed about science but also the most unsure about its role in society. They were less likely to agree that science is such a big part of our lives and that we should all take an interest. Most troubling for me, a third of these young people said that school put them off science—more than any other age group. This is a generational difference not found in previous surveys.
 
From my experience, part of the problem is that the way science is delivered in schools often fails to reflect how science works in the real world. Science is fundamentally about discovery: asking questions, investigating problems and coming up with new solutions. Yet many students rarely encounter this side of science in school, where the focus is on learning facts to cover an overcrowded curriculum, meet attainment targets and satisfy accountability measures. Despite its obvious importance to their lives, science as it’s encountered in the classroom just doesn’t feel relevant to the wider world. It’s no wonder some young people feel put off!
 
These challenges are even more pronounced for young women. The survey found that longstanding gender gaps in science persist. Just 35% of women said they feel informed about science, compared with around half of men, and women were less likely to want to be involved in scientific decision-making. Is it that they don’t want to—or that they’ve never felt like they can be decision-makers? That they don’t often see women like them in scientific leadership roles? After all, women still make up only a quarter of the UK’s STEM workforce, despite many initiatives launched to tackle this imbalance.
 
For many women, science appears to be a world where they don’t belong. The problem arises much earlier in the STEM pipeline, through preconceptions and stereotypes formed in school. The well-known draw-a-scientist studies have consistently found that most young people imagine scientists as men in white lab coats. Stemettes’ 2024 white paper found that only two references to female scientists in the GCSE science specifications from leading exam boards, compared to 40 men. When representation is limited in education, it shapes the choices people make later in life.
 
There are, however, many hopeful findings. The report showed very high levels of support for science and scientists. Around eight in ten respondents said that scientists make a valuable contribution to society, and 84% agreed that young people’s interest in science is essential for our future prosperity. Two thirds also agreed that it is important for the people working in science to reflect all groups in the population. Even taking into account the ‘sense of uncertainty or ambivalence’ that has crept in since Covid-19 and the so-called AI boom, the public largely understands why science is important.
 
The report also highlights the role of science capital in shaping people’s attitudes—something we work on in my organisation, the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS). Science capital describes the sum of a person’s meaningful interactions with science: meeting relatable scientists, visiting a discovery centre, participating in extracurricular activities, or even encountering science through media and news. The survey found that ‘higher levels of science capital were associated with more positive attitudes to science, greater trust in scientists and a greater willingness to engage in science issues.’ The report concludes with a call ‘to build the nation’s science capital—their interactions with science and scientists at multiple touchpoints across their lives.’
 
All of this suggests that schools deserve particular attention as a place where attitudes toward science are formed. We need a curriculum that reflects how science actually works—one that connects students to research, discovery and real-world applications of scientific knowledge. We also need to challenge persistent stereotypes, making it clear that science is open to everyone. We have a responsibility to build young people’s science capital so they can engage meaningfully with scientific debates and policy decisions as adults, regardless of their starting point. And the public’s understanding of science’s contributions means they’re likely to be on board with our mission to make sure young people have meaningful experiences of science at school.
 
At IRIS, we give students opportunities to engage in real research and innovation in school. We facilitate student-led research projects, covering topics from elephant conservation to engineering net-zero aircraft. We also recently piloted our Research and Innovation Framework, which successfully sustained young people’s science capital, grew personal science identities and improved knowledge of career pathways open to them. And we’re not alone. Many other education charities share our ambition to transform how science is taught.
 
Armed with valuable insights into young people’s attitudes to science, the next step is clear: science education must inspire curiosity, confidence and opportunity. We’re hopeful that the ongoing curriculum reform will begin to deliver a more relevant science education along with the resources that teachers need to deliver it. If school puts young people off science now, we risk losing a whole generation of researchers and innovators. By working together to shift the culture of science education in the UK, we can ensure that the next survey tells a different story.
 
Georgie Lott has been an award-winning science teacher at secondary schools and is currently Head of Education Innovation for the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS).