Towards the empowerment of public scientific literacy: Presenter(s): Sara Rubinelli, University of Lucerne and Swiss Paraplegic Research, Switzerland

As demonstrated during the Covid pandemic, evaluating health information and identifying mis/disinformation is very demanding for the general public, making informing the public a key action in pandemic response. Nonetheless, this information is grounded in and contains scientific evidence and concepts. It implicitly assumes some level of scientific knowledge to be understood and used in a correct and actionable manner (e.g., knowledge of how a vaccine is tested for safety and efficacy). Thus, the ‘scientific literacy’ of the general population becomes prominent. The objective of this presentation is to illustrate a model of public scientific literacy. A conceptual review of existing conceptualisations and operationalisations of scientific literacy found in the literature through comparative evaluation, i.e. the models by Norris and Philis, the Science-Technology Society (STS), OECD Pisa, Ying Zhan and Chiappetta et al. Five main components of public scientific literacy are identified as most prominent. Specifically, the model includes knowledge and evaluation skills on the following topics: the concept of ‘scientific evidence’ versus an opinion (even of an expert); the different types of quantitative and qualitative evidence; how science works as a process to achieve knowledge based on the principle of falsification; the peer-reviewed process for science publication and the ethical standards for scientific work and its implementation. Scientific literacy is the basis of critical thinking and thus of individual and collective decisions and behaviors that are non-ideological and non-stereotypical. Scientific literacy allows dynamic adaptations of behaviors and modifications of beliefs and knowledge transparently and adaptively, which can integrate knowledge advancements and new information as complex phenomena that are progressively better understood and explained. Findings: from this study can inform the development of measurement instruments and interventions for public scientific literacy. Also they are a basis for strengthening institutional communication of evidence-based recommendations.