This is according to a survey conducted by the Hebrew University on the occasion of Science Day. However, only a few know more than one Israeli Nobel laureate. More Israelis know the Big Brother participants
A survey initiated by the Hebrew University on the occasion of National Science Day, celebrated every year on Einstein's birthday, revealed that science and research serve as a source of national pride for the majority of the Israeli public. The survey, which examined the public's attitudes towards science and scientists, found that the majority of the public believes that additional resources should be invested in science and research. The survey also found that 58% of the respondents knew how to correctly name at least one of the Israeli scientists who won the Nobel Prize.
The survey was conducted on March 2, 2010 among a sample of 500 people by the MarketWatch company, and it shows that being a researcher at a university is seen as one of the most prestigious professions. University researcher was ranked as the second most prestigious profession among the professions examined, after doctor. The profession is seen as more prestigious than a businessman, an accountant, a lawyer and a military man. The four least prestigious professions were banker, member of Knesset, media person and cleric. 25% of those with a bachelor's degree or higher who participated in the survey chose the university researcher profession as the most prestigious profession, compared to only 13% of those with a high school education or below and 18% of those with a post-secondary education.
In response to the question of what profession you would like your child to pursue when he grows up, 16% of the respondents (who have children) answered that they would like their child to be a researcher at the university. The doctor profession was ranked first (19%).
Nearly 60% of the respondents indicated that science and research serve as a source of national pride for them.
65% chose high-tech as a field that is a source of national pride and 62% chose the field of medicine. These areas were considered a source of national pride more than security (57%), sports (22%), art (17%), education (11%) and government (2%).
About 50% of the respondents believed that the State of Israel does not invest enough resources in research and science or does not invest at all. 27% believed that the degree of investment is moderate and only about 20% believed that the state invests enough resources or a lot of resources. Among those with a bachelor's degree or higher, approximately 60% believed that the state does not invest enough resources or does not invest at all, compared to 34% of those with a high school education or less who believed the same.
In response to the question of what in your opinion is the main reason for brain drain, 41% of the participants believed that the reason is low wages in academia in Israel compared to the wages offered abroad. 17% of the respondents believed that the reason was a lack of standards; 14% believed that the reason was a better status of scientists abroad; 11% believed that the reason for brain drain is a lesser scientific infrastructure in Israel and 8% believed that the reason is a higher standard of living abroad.
A poll that tested the degree of familiarity of the general public with the Nobel Prize winners in science shows that 58% of the respondents knew how to correctly name at least one of the Nobel Prize winners from Israel. This is compared to about 65% who knew how to correctly state at least one name of the "Big Brother" participants. Furthermore, only 17% of the respondents could name 2 names of Nobel Prize winning scientists and only 6% could name 3 names.
Among those with a high school education or less, 50% knew how to correctly name at least one Nobel Prize winner, compared to 75% of this group who knew how to correctly name at least one of the participants of the "Big Brother" program. Among those with a bachelor's degree or higher, close to 70% knew how to correctly name at least one Nobel Prize winner in science, compared to 58% of this group who knew how to correctly name at least one participant in the "Big Brother" program.
Regarding wages and working hours in the academy, 61% of the respondents thought that a university researcher earns no more than NIS 15,000 net per month, and 58% believed that a university researcher works 10 hours or more a day.
The president of the Hebrew University Prof. Menachem Ben-Shashon said today that the findings of the survey show that the general public knows how to appreciate the importance of science to society and the demands that the profession requires. "The findings give rise to hope that the ears of the policy makers will be called to establish a national order of priorities as this is reflected in the survey."
According to Prof. Ben-Shashon, "The public's perception of the field of science is an important message for National Science Day - both for the Hebrew University and for the field of higher education in Israel. However, it should be noted that contrary to the perception that emerged in the survey that the brain drain is due to economic motives, the real reason is a lesser scientific infrastructure in Israel compared to the one offered abroad."
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The little citizen knows but is not interested. Robosome sounds like Chinese and game theory. If it's not football or computer games, then it's not interesting.
Channel 2, the most watched channel in Israel, is constantly promoting Big Brother, but the Nobel grooms and their actions are only seen in news reports and even then on the margins of the news.
There are no investigative programs about Nobel Prize winners and their successes and there are no programs at all about science that are not niche channels.
So it is clear that the common citizen is not aware of the existence of scientists living in Israel.
I think the most striking statistic is that 2% chose the field of government as a source of national pride compared to 65% in high tech.
Perhaps the research actually shows that the field of government is the field in which one should invest.
As for the comparison to the big brother, it is out of place.
The survey was conducted two days before the final (4.3), so there was a lot of buzz around it, when was there an advertisement in the middle of the news for Ada Yonat or Chechanover? Even those who did not see the show but saw the commercials on Channel 2 could at least know the three who will be in the final.
This figure is misleading and should not be considered...
Do the survey in another six months and see what the situation is.