France more skeptical about science and vaccines, according to a global survey | Science

What a surprise. France, cradle of the Concorde, facial graft and first HIV isolation, is more suspicious of vaccines and the economic value of science than more than 140 other countries, according to a global survey of public attitudes at home. the science and health week. But French scientists say that skepticism is familiar and does not affect their work; Some suggest that this rather reflects a deep distrust of institutions. "We think that there is a problem of trust in the government, especially in the health authorities," says Pierre Verger, an epidemiologist who studies the hesitation to be vaccinated at INSERM, French Institute for Biomedical Research, Marseille.

When asked if vaccines were safe, one-third of the 1,000 French surveyed disagreed – much more than in other countries. (In the United States, 11% disagreed.) Mistrust has not changed significantly by age, bad, or education, according to the Gallup World Poll survey for the Wellcome Trust, a biomedical charity based in London.

Verger's research suggests high-profile health scandals. In 2009, for example, years after other countries, French regulators withdrew their approval of Mediator, an amphetamine-based diabetes drug badociated with hundreds of deaths, due to undue concern from the industry. The French were also unhappy with heavy public health campaigns, such as an expensive mbad vaccination against swine flu the same year. "France is one of the few countries where [such controversies] have been so common, "says Verger.

The survey also reveals French pessimism as to the economic value of science. Some 55% say they see science and technology as a threat to local jobs over the next five years. Although France is the only country to have exceeded 50% on this issue, a similar gloom affects other parts of Europe, while most parts of Africa and Asia are optimistic about science which boosts employment prospects. The survey suggests that the French economy and the relatively high unemployment rate are plausible causes. This fear of the future is understandable, says Catherine Pélachaud, researcher in artificial intelligence (IA) at the Sorbonne in Paris. "We are seeing factories close and it can be very difficult for less qualified people to adapt."

It may be unfair to describe France as an aversion to science on the basis of a single investigation. According to an OpinionWay survey conducted in France in 2017 by 1059 people in France and commissioned by Quattrocento, a scientific incubator company based in Paris, the enthusiasm generated by certain technologies is highly developed. It shows that more than three quarters of respondents were hopeful in research on transport and renewable energy. At the same time, about two-thirds were concerned about research on nuclear energy and studies on genetically modified foods (GM). The French government, world leader in the production of nuclear energy and the export of its technology, largely ignored public dissent in this area, but he resumed his suspicions about genetically modified foods, for example by prohibiting the cultivation of genetically modified corn.

French scientists are not surprised by the results of the survey and point out that opinions are not always correlated to behavior. Of the French parents surveyed, 91% say that their children are vaccinated, which corresponds to the global average of 92%. "This is the French paradox: we have doubts about many things; we grumble. Fortunately, immunization coverage remains high, "said Olivier Schwartz, scientific director of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, which relies on donations from the public to carry out its work, including vaccine research. "I do not see a hostile climate," says Schwartz. "On the contrary, I have the feeling that [people in France have] a thirst for knowledge. "

The survey data confirm this statement: about 71% of respondents in France say they know "a lot" or "a lot" about science, placing France in the top 10 worldwide. And 46% say they have searched for scientific information in the past month, compared with an average of 30% worldwide. Schwartz attributes the skepticism of the French vaccine to a lack of information and says researchers and institutions must fill this gap "in a simple and rigorous way".

But Brice Laurent, a sociologist at the Center for Sociology of Innovation in Paris, warns against this "deficit model" of communication, which implies that ignorance breeds skepticism and that people would adopt technologies. they knew science well enough. Studies show that more knowledgeable people are often more skeptical, he notes.

"It would be boring if policymakers saw this [survey] and thought: "The French simply do not understand, so we will repeat the message," Laurent warns. He believes that skepticism is rooted in the culture of France, a place where all high schoolers learn philosophy. "You can look at these statistics and say: The French are critical thinkers; they are interested and ask questions, "he says.

Pélachaud agrees that a vigilant public can help push scientists to consider societal impacts. "When I started 30 years ago, we did not ask ourselves ethical questions" in the field of AI, explains Pélachaud, who works on animated chatbots capable of nonverbal communication. "The French may be grumpy, but their critical mind is important."