Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-GARCES, Carlos; ESPINOSA-VALENZUELA, Denisse  and  PADILLA-FUENTES, Geraldo. What do Chileans believe in?: the deep-rooted prevalence of unfounded ideas and magical thinking. Rev. Int. Investig. Cienc. Soc. [online]. 2023, vol.19, n.2, pp.217-234. ISSN 2226-4000.  https://doi.org/10.18004/riics.2023.diciembre.217.

Science and technology play a fundamental role in the development, progress, and welfare of the population. Using data from the Second National Survey of Social Perception on Science and Technology (EPSCT), the objective of this article is to analyze the perceptions and imaginaries that citizens have about science and unfounded beliefs. Broadly speaking, the results show that, despite the fact that people know what science is, its content, purpose, and procedures, they retain an important set of unfounded and fanciful beliefs. Beliefs that operate relatively independent of protective factors such as higher educational level. The conclusions emphasize the importance of the development of critical thinking as a mechanism to avoid deception, manipulation, and intolerance of some beliefs in the population.

Keywords : Science and technology; Belief; Perception; Science popularization; Education and culture.

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