An Exploratory Study of Perceptions on Science and Technology Evidence from World Values Survey

Abstract

The acceptance and perceptions of science and technology in our lives is a complex issue that is influenced by a variety of factors such as gender, age, and education. This research aims to explore these factors and their impact on the acceptance of the positive side of science and technology. Data from the World Values survey seventh wave was taken to analyze the same. A total of 59 countries’ data was available with 40,643 male and 44,724 female respondents. The Independent Sample T Test and ANOVA were used to explore the variances. A cross National examination was conducted where it was explored that there were significant levels of acceptance among the 59 countries based on the Mean values of the variable Science and Technology are making our lives healthier, easier, and more comfortable besides, it was found that education plays a significant role in shaping an individual’s perspective towards science and technology. Those with higher levels of education tend to have a more positive view and are more likely to accept science and technology in their lives. Age was also found to be a significant factor, with older individuals being less likely to embrace modern technologies compared to younger individuals. Gender was found to have a weaker impact on the acceptance of science and technology, with the research indicating that both men and women can have either a positive or negative view of it. The research concludes that education appears to be the most significant factor influencing the acceptance of science and technology, followed by age, with gender having a weaker impact. Policymakers need to understand these factors and work towards increasing science and technology literacy in order to facilitate its widespread adoption.

Keywords

• gender
• age
• education
• science and technology
• world values survey