A Kantar survey carried out for the ARC Foundation highlights the very high esteem that the French have for researchers and what they expect of them.
- A survey for the ARC Foundation asked the French about the role of researchers and doctors in building the future
- A majority of respondents want these professions to play an important role
- 7 out of 10 French people believe that researchers are not sufficiently recognized
The French have confidence in medical research. This is in any case what highlights a Kantar survey for the ARC Foundation for Cancer Research.
Medical research, a cutting-edge sector
Before the Covid-19 crisis, the French felt that the actors they would like to see play a key role in tomorrow’s society were scientific researchers (63%), doctors (59%) and teachers (46%). ). This confidence in researchers and caregivers seems to have strengthened once the confinement took effect, with +12 points for doctors (71%) and +7 points for researchers (70%).
Very concerned about their health, the French consider biomedical research and medicine to be the top cutting-edge sectors (70%), far ahead of the aerospace industry (50%) or the automobile industry (44%).
Although they have great esteem for researchers, the French on the other hand struggle to memorize their names, like the well-known like Pierre and Marie Curie (37%), Louis Pasteur (36%) or Albert Einstein (20 %).
Researchers are poorly recognized according to the French
Moreover, 69% of the French feel that they are insufficiently recognized. Similarly, 69% also find that researchers are poorly paid and not sufficiently supported financially.
“I am pleasantly surprised by the interest the French take in research and the place they wish to give it in tomorrow’s society.notes Professor Eric Solary, hematologist at the Gustave Roussy Institute in Villejuif and President of the Scientific Council of the ARC Foundation. On the other hand, I am less surprised by the primordial place given to biomedical research, which is undoubtedly the one that most directly concerns the people interviewed, those who are also talked about the most easily and most often.”
In the field of oncology, researchers are mostly perceived as working for the common good (51%). Passionate women and men (50%), whose work improves health (47%) and whose work is trustworthy (37%).
Three-quarters of French respondents (75%) are even convinced that researchers have the ability to change the world and improve their future lives (86%). In addition, the French believe in the abilities and common values of researchers. At last, “‘73% of respondents are convinced that researchers will be able to cure 2 out of 3 cancers within 5 years and increase their life expectancy (84%)”.
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