Gender Differences in Interest in Contemporary Science Topics

As part of a focus group exploratory study into the feasibility of presenting to the public an on-going review of new findings or issues in major fields of science research, 128 adult participants noted which two of ten contemporary science research areas they were most interested in. Of note is the fact that all classification variables (except gender) were unrelated to topic appeal. Interest in each research topic was not influenced by age; educational level; minority/majority grouping; total household income; occupational status; and perceived need for science knowledge in one's employment. Tentatively, we could conclude that the audience for contemporary science information is more homogeneous than media analysts might predict. However, recognition of the strong gender influence is important to recognize in designing effective media presentations for public understanding of current science research.

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