Young people in the UK are among the least interested in Europe in pursuing careers in science - yet they are more hopeful than most that science might deliver.
Around 71 per cent of young British people said they were not interested in a science profession and 43 per cent said they lacked the skills to pursue a career in science, compared with only a tenth of young people in Bulgaria and Slovenia. Many young Britons, however, expected improvements in areas such as food and water quality, and communications technologies.
Nearly 25,000 15 to 25-year-olds were interviewed for the Eurobarometer survey, commissioned by the European Commission, which compared views across all 27 EU states. The commission is proposing an event, European Capital of Science, to be held in a different EU country each year, to create interest in science and technology by making links with recent scientific work.
www.ec.europa.eupublic_opinionindex_en.htm.