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CaSE Public Opinion Research Summary

CaSE has carried out extensive research into public attitudes to R&D

This page summarises the main findings from all our research exploring the public’s knowledge of R&D; views on its benefits, purpose and investment into R&D; attitudes on important topics like trust and terminology; and attitudes to specific or politically relevant subjects like global-facing R&D or economic growth.

Sources:

Last updated: January 2025

Contents

Priority issues: Priority issues for the public and political parties

Perceptions about R&D

  • Knowledge of R&D: Knowledge of and attitudes towards R&D and the people and places involved in it
  • Trust and messengers: Trust in different aspects of R&D and attitudes to those who talk about it

Investment and benefits:

Purpose and Place:  Exploring how linking R&D to purpose affects attitudes and how to use place as a connection point, including international comparisons

Talking about R&D: Attitudes to the terminology we use to talk about R&D, effective messages, and ways to engage with the public

R&D actors: Attitudes to the organisations that fund or carry out R&D, including universities

Jobs and skills: Attitudes to R&D linked to education, jobs and skills, including international researchers

Timeframes: Attitudes to the timelines associated with R&D

Demographics: Understanding how attitudes differ within and between groups

Priority issues

The public’s main concerns are consistently the cost of living, the NHS and the economy. These, along with climate change, are the areas the public want to see politicians prioritise. Many think that people in the UK are better off now than 50 years ago, but that things are changing for the worse. They are divided on whether the UK should focus on solving problems in the present or the future, although there is broad support for long-term political thinking and creative problem solving. 

Since our first poll in May 2022, the cost of living, the state of the economy and the quality of the NHS have been consistently ranked as the top three most important issues facing the county. Climate change often emerges as a fourth issue. In our June 2024 poll, 67% selected the cost of living, 58% the quality of the NHS and 38% the state of the economy. The public also want to see the cost of living and the NHS prioritised by politicians. In our June 2024 poll, 88% said each of these issues should be a top or high priority for UK political parties.  

Our 2022-23 study found the public tended to think people are better off now than 50 years ago, but that things are changing for the worse and that the future is scary. There was also support for solving problems at home first, with 77% saying we should prioritise solving problems in the UK and 51% agreeing there are too many problems in our own country to worry about problems in other countries. 

The public were split on how to move forward, with 56% saying we need to take risks to make things better, and 44% saying we can’t afford to take risks. However, we do see an appetite for creative thinking and long-termism: 

  • 73% said they would support the UK trying new and creative ways to solve problems rather than sticking to existing solutions. (July 2022) 
  • In both March/April and June 2024 polls more than 8 in 10 people agreed politicians should embrace long-term thinking and solutions. 

We have also explored attitudes to global issues in polling conducted in June 2024, and found that: 

  • 35% selected political instability and conflict, and 32% extreme weather conditions as the biggest issues facing the world. In focus groups, participants often interpreted ‘global’ as meaning ‘elsewhere’, rather than ‘shared’.  
  • When asked about the most effective ways to deal with global issues, the most-selected intervention was to invest in the research and development of new solutions (41%), followed by “strengthen international cooperation” (32%).  
  • 71% thought that higher income countries should work in partnership with lower income countries to address global issues. 
  • Nearly two-thirds (64%) said “it is better for the UK to work with other countries to solve global issues, to build stronger relationships with these countries”, compared with just 6% who said “it is better for the UK to solve global issues alone to get the credit”.

Many people want to see R&D treated as more of a political priority, and would support action from the Government: 

  • 56% want to see politicians pay more attention to science and innovation than they currently do. (February 2023) 
  • 71% would support the Government taking action to make the UK the best place for a company to set up its research department. (October 2023) 
  • 58% said funding research generally should be a top or high priority for UK political parties. (October 2023) 

When we explored the public’s priorities for R&D in our 2024 polling, we found that: 

  • When asked about priorities for investment in R&D, 78% said healthcare, followed by 45% the environment and 36% education. 
  • When asked which R&D topics the Government should pay more attention to, 55% said medical research and new medical technology; 50% renewable energy and environmental research and 46% mental health and wellbeing research. 
  • The arts, culture and humanities were selected the least in both our 2024 polls. 

Perceptions about R&D

Awareness and knowledge of R&D is patchy, with less than half saying they know what R&D means, and many associate R&D with consumer tech or medical research. The people and organisations that make up the R&D sector are generally well trusted, and the public want to hear from messengers with a track record and who will be honest, independent and evidence-based.

Knowledge of R&D 

Awareness and knowledge of R&D is patchy, with less than half saying they know what R&D means. The public tends to associate R&D with consumer tech or medical research; arts and social sciences are rarely mentioned unprompted. When asked about where R&D happens, universities are not front of mind without prompting – but when prompted, universities are selected as one of the top three funders and doers of R&D, alongside national government and large businesses. 

Throughout our research we provided respondents with a definition of R&D that included a summary that R&D is often the first step to creating something new (see Terminology for the full definition). Before showing this definition, we ask a set of questions to explore underlying awareness and knowledge. In February 2023: 

  • 52% either hadn’t heard of “R&D” or had but didn’t know what it means, while 44% who said that they both heard of “R&D” and knew what it meant.  
  • 82% had heard of “research and development”.
  • 52% said they knew nothing or not very much about R&D, but shifting the focus to a person rather than an abstract activity increased knowledge: just 16% said they don’t really know what a researcher does.

The public associate R&D with consumer tech or medical research; focus group respondents rarely mentioned other types of research without personal knowledge. In polling, medical research and product development were far more likely to be viewed as “R&D” compared to examples of humanities research. 

In polling, respondents identify universities, large businesses and the national government as the organisations that carry out and fund the most R&D. However, in focus groups – when we did not provide prompts – participants focused on businesses and rarely mentioned universities. When prompted, they often thought R&D in universities was carried out by students or lecturers “in their spare time”, suggesting that the scale of the professionalised research workforce within UK universities is not reaching many. Companies were seen as more profit-motivated – which wasn’t always seen as a negative – while universities and research charities were perceived as more altruistic in their R&D activities.  

In general, R&D is seen as a global and collaborative endeavour. For instance, focus group participants believed that R&D done in one country would benefit others and that universities in particular would share knowledge with each other. (See also International comparisons.)  

Many people see R&D as being unequally spread across the UK, with a strong bias towards London. Our May 2022 poll asked people to identify the top three regions of the UK where they thought R&D was carried out, and London was chosen by 69% and South East England by 29%. However, separate questions suggest there is a familiarity effect, with respondents’ ranking their own regions highly. (See Place section.)  

Trust and messengers

The people and organisations that make up the R&D sector are generally well trusted, including when talking about R&D, investment and its benefits. Although the public recognises the potential for bias among spokespeople from within the R&D sector, there is a stronger sense that those working in research are well-placed to talk about it. When it comes to R&D, the public want to hear from messengers with a track record and who will be honest, independent and evidence-based.  

General trust in researchers is high, including on a local level: 

  • Seven in 10 trust scientists, with 22% of those saying they trust them completely. When asked to rank which professions they trust the most, scientists came top, followed by NHS workers and engineers; at the other end of the scale were politicians and journalists. (June 2024) 
  • Most people would mostly or completely trust scientists to be honest about how helpful R&D is to the public (69% of 2,011) and to honestly explain the results of R&D (68%). (June 2024) 
  • 56% (of 8,474) would trust people who work in R&D in their area to talk about its benefits – with just 8% disagreeing. (July 2022) 
  • Exposure to scientific messengers involved in the Government’s coronavirus press conferences had left focus group participants with broadly positive impressions. Many praised the fact they “backed up with evidence” and spoke honestly about challenging subjects. 

Researchers are trusted to talk about R&D investment: 

  • Just over half of respondents trusted each of research charities (54% of 8,474), researchers (54%) and universities (51%) to be honest about how much the Government should invest in R&D. Some 29% trusted businesses, and this was higher among men, those aged 25-34 and those in group AB. (July 2022) 
  • 59% trust researchers to be honest about how much money the Government should be investing in R&D. (June 2024) 
  • Although around half of people agreed that it is self-interested for researchers or scientists to talk about more funding for R&D, a higher proportion – over 6 in 10 – agreed that researchers or scientists know better than others what is needed, so it makes sense for them to talk about it. (July 2022) 
  • When asked why they might trust those working in R&D to talk about R&D investment, the most commonly chosen reasons were that those working in R&D personally know the topic well (55% of 2,011) and that they would take into account all the evidence (45%). (June 2024) 

Our 2022-23 study carried out detailed analysis on R&D messengers, including by testing the same messages with different messengers. For our full findings and methods, see the Messengers section of the 2022-23 study. We found that: 

  • Household names – like Cancer Research UK or David Attenborough – are the most likely to be seen as reliable sources of information on R&D, but other R&D voices, such as a group of researchers or a university vice chancellor, also performed well. (July 2022) 
  • Business messengers received a mixed response. In surveys they performed better among those in group AB, men and older people. In focus groups, there was some concern about bias, but many recognised the important role industry plays in R&D.  
  • Politicians perform poorly as messengers for R&D, although those holding more clearly R&D-related roles (such as the science minister) are seen as more relevant messengers.  

We also explored the issue of advice, and found that: 

  • 52% would prefer the UK Government to listen to public sector staff like doctors and nurses when deciding what actions to take, followed by economists (39%) and people who work in R&D (36%). (June 2024) 
  • When asked how much they trusted certain groups to advise the UK Government on how to support R&D that aims to help address global issues, we found that those working in research in the UK were the most trusted, by 68% of respondents. (June 2024, Global-Facing R&D)

Investment and Benefits 

Government investment is supported by the majority of the public, but many are concerned about prioritising R&D when public finances are tight. Although the public see the benefits of R&D at a societal level, many do not feel R&D directly benefits them, their loved ones or their communities. However, the public respond well to benefits focused on the next generation, and spillover benefits to jobs or the economy were well-received when these were given as options.

As a core part of CaSE’s work on public attitudes to R&D, this section uses the latest figures, with changes over time shown in graphs at the end of the section.

Benefits 

Although the public see the benefits of R&D at a societal level, many do not feel R&D directly benefits them, their loved ones or their communities. Healthcare-related benefits are often front of mind, but there are concerns about R&D creating expensive new products or solutions that are out of reach for many. The public responds well to benefits focused on the next generation, and spillover benefits to jobs or the economy were well-received when these were given as options. 

This section summaries broad attitudes to benefits; more detail on topic-specific benefits are discussed in the Purpose section and local benefits are discussed in the Place section. 

The public believes that R&D does bring benefits to society:

  • 65% said that new discoveries in Britain could make the country better and a better place to live. (July 2022)
  • When shown a list of example inventions, 78% said the internet had had a positive impact on their lives over the last 25 years, followed by smartphones (67%). The coronavirus vaccine was selected by 73% of those aged over 65 and 38% of those aged 18-24. (May 2022)
  • When asked to select potential benefits of the Government investing in R&D, 49% selected growing the UK economy and 49% felt that it would make the UK better prepared for the future. Fewer selected developing medicines and treatments (42%) and helping solve long-term problems such as climate change (34%). (March/April 2024)
  • Among those who felt it was important for the Government to invest in R&D, 68% said this was because of the benefits it brings for future generations. (May 2022)
  • Spillover benefits from R&D investment don’t readily come to mind for many – but they are viewed as good reasons for investment when prompted.
  • Among those who support more regional or local R&D, the most commonly chosen benefits were to the local economy, local and well-paid jobs and education opportunities. (July 2022, February 2023; see Place section below)
  • When provided with a list of potential benefits of the UK doing R&D to tackle global issues, the most-selected option was that it would create jobs in the UK, followed by improving relationships with other countries. (June 2024, Global-Facing R&D)

However, there is consistent evidence that people do not feel R&D benefits them directly or that the benefits are spread unevenly:

  • Just 39% felt that R&D benefitted “people like them”, falling to 29% for 18-24s. (May 2022).
  • 34% could think of very few or no ways in which R&D investment improves their lives, and just 13% could think of many ways. This is similar to results from February 2023, when they were 37% and 9%, respectively. (June 2024)
  • Around half of respondents (49%) agreed that R&D had improved their lives. (June 2024)
  • Polling consistently found that around 6 in 10 felt that R&D benefitted some more than others. In our July 2022 poll, respondents cited big businesses, wealthy people and the national government as the biggest beneficiaries.
  • Focus group participants expressed concerns that the benefits of R&D wouldn’t be accessible to everyone due to new innovations being more expensive, with the costs of the R&D being passed on to the consumer.

The public are divided on where R&D projects should bring the most benefits:

  • 77% said the UK should focus on solving issues in the UK rather than issues affecting the whole world (23%). (July 2022)
  • 49% agreed that there are too many problems in our own country to worry about problems in other countries. (February 2023)
  • Many focus group participants support R&D tackling global issues, often tied to the idea that society needs to leave the world a better place for the next generation. These views are often strongly held by those who were passionate about using R&D to protect the environment.
  • However, some participants wanted to see impacts closer to home, including clearer benefits to people like them. Prioritisation of UK benefits increased when the question was framed around UK taxpayer money being spent on R&D.

Economic growth

The public naturally link economic growth to R&D investment, and vice versa, and report a clear understanding of how R&D investment can lead to growth. When compared with more tangible potential outcomes of R&D investment, the phrase ‘grow the economy’ performed very well.

R&D advocates often argue that economic growth is a strong and tangible benefit of R&D investment, and there is a great deal of evidence to support this. Our March/April 2024 survey focused on public attitudes to R&D and economic growth. We found that:

  • More than 50% said they could explain the meaning of ‘Economic growth’, ‘Deficit’, ‘Return on investment’, ‘Economic productivity’ and ‘GDP’. Of these phrases, economic growth performed best, with 97% of respondents saying they had heard the term, and 76% said they could explain it.
  • Most people (56%) said that improvements in their standard of living would be a personal benefit of economic growth in the UK, followed by improvements to public services like transport, education and the NHS (45%) or making it easier to afford the essentials like food (43%). Just 4% said economic growth would not benefit them.
  • When asked what actions might encourage economic growth, 40% chose reducing the costs of basic household needs, followed by strengthening the manufacturing sector (38%). Some 31% selected putting money into research and development, putting it into the top 10 actions chosen.
  • A majority of respondents (50%-64%) said that investing in R&D was a better strategy to grow the economy than a range of typical near-term policy interventions, such as minimum wage increases or building hospitals.
  • 65% said it was clear how investing in R&D would grow the economy, compared with 23% who said it was not clear.
  • When asked to rate messages in favour of R&D investment, 84% said that “We should invest more into R&D as it will grow the economy” made a somewhat or very strong case.

Investment

Government investment is supported by the majority of the public, but many are concerned about prioritising R&D when public finances are tight. More than a quarter feel that R&D should not be funded by taxpayers. The private sector is viewed as one of the main funders of R&D, and some feel this could help to save the taxpayer money.

Most people support Government investment into R&D. Some 70% of respondents in our May 2022 poll said it was at least somewhat important for the Government to invest in R&D. However, many expressed concerns about prioritising R&D over other urgent priorities, and around a quarter agreed that R&D should not be funded by taxpayers. In focus groups, participants talked about R&D as a “luxury” that could be “put on the backburner” until times are less tight. Polling supports this: the idea that there are more pressing issues is seen as a strong argument against R&D investment.

  • 39% agreed with the statement “R&D should not be funded by taxpayers”. This is higher than in both our July 2022 poll, when 24% felt this way, and in February 2023, when 25% agreed. (June 2024)
  • 34% agreed “We currently invest too much in R&D rather than solving issues that matter now”, with 30% disagreeing. (May 2022)
  • 54% said that R&D was important to invest in at some point, but other things were more important at the moment; compared with 34% who said R&D was one of the most important things for the UK to be investing in. (February 2023)
  • 46% would want the UK to invest more in R&D only when the economy is in better shape. (February 2023)
  • 24% agreed that we cannot afford to invest in R&D at the moment, rising to 34% among 18-24s, with under 35s more likely to agree with this than disagree. (February 2023)
  • When tensioned against other competing priorities, many people would decrease R&D investment: 56% would support halving the R&D budget and spending the money on reducing the cost of people’s energy bills. (May 2022)

Many people correctly identify the private sector as a major funder of R&D, and in free text responses and focus groups, some felt that the private sector should “pick up the slack” by funding R&D and saving the taxpayer money – while others were worried about profit-led motivations. In polling (July 2022), 53% felt that R&D was no better or worse when funded by private companies for profit versus by Government and charities not for profit, with the remaining responses leaning slightly towards the non-profit side.

Purpose and Place

There is public appetite for honest conversations about the rationales, risks and rewards of R&D. The public trust local messengers, want to see local benefits and often express local pride in R&D. Therefore, CaSE’s advice to those engaging with different audiences about R&D is to foreground Purpose and Place. This section summarises relevant points from our polling related to these two fundamental connection points.

 

Purpose

The public believe that R&D is relevant to solving society’s problems, and linking investment to the problems that R&D is trying to solve drives up support. This is particularly true among younger people, who tend to be more motivated by issues.

We have consistently found that a majority feel that R&D has an important or essential role in the quality of the NHS, the threat of climate change, the state of the economy, supporting people in old age and the cost of living. In addition, many people will choose an R&D solution over a non-R&D one when given a binary choice. We found that:

  • 71% said that R&D has an essential or important role to play in the quality of the NHS and 65% said the same about climate change. (June 2024)
  • When asked to choose between two ways of tackling an issue – investing in relevant R&D or cutting investment in R&D to fund a non-R&D solution – respondents consistently favoured the R&D intervention. However, younger age groups were more likely to favour the non-R&D solution for the cost of living, and women favoured the non-R&D solution for improving the NHS. (July 2022)

Find out more

Our briefings brings together evidence on issues including healthcare, the environment and cost of living.

Public Opinion Data Briefings

Linking R&D to the problems it is trying to solve drives up support for R&D and investment:

  • 65% said they would be more supportive of the Government spending on R&D if they knew it was going towards improving the quality of the NHS. This was the highest proportion, but overall a majority would be more supportive of the Government spending on R&D for all the issues we tested, except defence and housing. This trend was notable for younger respondents (particularly 18-24s), who said they would be more supportive for any issue except defence. (July 2022)
  • When exploring support for increasing the R&D budget when linked to different issues, we saw net support rise from a baseline of 20% when no issue was provided to 47% when linked to jobs, 46% for healthcare, and 46% for the environment. (July 2022)
  • However, when we tested proposals to either increase or decrease R&D investment, we saw support for both when related to the issues of healthcare, mental ill-health and cost of living.  Taking action on these issues appears to be the primary concern, rather than how that is achieved. We see this effect particularly strongly in younger age groups, indicating that they are highly motivated by issues. (July 2022)
  • Focus group participants tended to prioritise the overall goal of R&D over other concerns – such as timelags or motivations of the organisations funding or conducting the R&D – and in some cases over spillover benefits like job creation.

Place

Many people associate their region with R&D, and most people would support more R&D in their local area or region. This extends to people’s own local area, with broad support for a new research lab being built locally, due to perceived benefits to the local economy or jobs. Awareness of local R&D is generally low, but there is appetite to learn more, along with trust in local messengers and a sense of local pride to build on.

Many people associate their region with R&D:

  • Around 40% in each region of the UK said they associate their region with R&D, ranging from a third in the South East to 59% in London. These associations are driven by universities, NHS and businesses, but historical links were more prominent in Scotland and former industrial regions. (July 2022)
  • However, just 23% agreed that their area was well-known for research. (July 2022)
  • When asked to describe examples of past or present R&D in their area, medical research featured in 51% of responses. Industrial research was referred to in 23%, with other notable themes including tech R&D, such as robotics or space research, and renewable energy, such as nuclear power and wind turbines. (July 2022)

The public would like to see more local and regional R&D, including new facilities:

  • In all regions, a majority said it was important their region carries out a lot of R&D, peaking at 79% in the North East. Across the UK, respondents who felt this way were motivated by local jobs (71% of those who said it was important) and inwards investment (64%). Notably, 18-24 year olds were less likely to say that R&D would generate new local jobs (60%) or bring investment to their area (47%). (July 2022)
  • 67% would like to see more R&D carried out in their local area. (October 2023)
  • 66% would support a new research lab being built in their local area, roughly equivalent to support for a new school or wind farm. Of those, 62% said it would benefit the local economy and 60% said it would bring more well-paid jobs to their area. (February 2023)
  • 70% would support a proposal to build a new laboratory for carrying out R&D on their nearest high street. (October 2023)
  • A majority would support a proposal to attract different organisations to set up research facilities in their local area, regardless of whether the facility was being established by a medical research charity, NHS body, university, or business. (March/April 2024)

The public are keen to learn more about local R&D, including from local spokespeople:

  • 66% said they knew hardly anything about the research being done in their area. This was higher among female respondents (70%) and those in socioeconomic group DE (69%). (July 2022)
  • 65% wanted to hear more about R&D being done in their area, with interest being higher among those under 45, and those in socioeconomic group AB. (July 2022)
  • 56% would trust people who work in R&D in their area to talk about its benefits. (July 2022)

In our 2024 polling we explored the public’s appetite for their local MP to take R&D related actions. These figures are for March/April 2024. Responses dropped in June 2024, which we believe was due to the impact of the polling taking place during the General Election campaign. New research to be published in coming months sought to confirm this conclusion.

  • 76% would like their MP to campaign for their nearest hospital to host more clinical trials.
  • 75% would like their MP to campaign for the creation of more R&D jobs in the area.
  • 72% would like their MP to create a new scheme for local school children to visit research centres.
  • 71% would like their MP to engage with the leaders of local R&D organisations such as universities and businesses.

Using 13 questions from our March/April and June 2024 polls, we commissioned a Multi-Level Regression with Poststratification (MRP) analysis to model the expected attitudes at a constituency level. The results can be found at this page.

International comparisons

Our research suggests that international competition does not motivate the public as strongly as other reasons to invest in R&D. In general, the public appears more open to narratives framed around pride in the UK or leadership, than competition or “beating” other countries. 

R&D is viewed as a collaborative endeavour, but the public would like to see the UK as one of the leading nations in R&D:

  • Around 6 in 10 do not see R&D as a competition between countries. (July 2022)
  • A plurality (38%) neither agreed nor disagreed to the statement “It is important to me that the UK invests more in R&D than similar countries”. (July 2022)
  • At least half felt it was important for the UK to invest in R&D, despite the UK benefitting from R&D carried out elsewhere, too. (July 2022)
  • Focus group participants naturally described R&D as a globally collaborative endeavour, and some expressed a sense of responsibility in the UK contributing to a wider pool of globally useful R&D.
  • A majority agreed that the UK should be one of the leading nations in the world at R&D (81%) and that the UK should be the best in the world in R&D (69%). (June 2024, Global-Facing R&D)

Although not ineffective with all groups, framing R&D investment around competition is less compelling than other potential messaging:

  • When asked to rate the strength of different messages in support of R&D investment, the weakest was: “The UK is falling behind similar countries such as France and Germany in the amount invested in R&D. We need to boost our investment into R&D so we can keep up.” (May 2022)
  • Net support did not pass 20% for the statements “The UK should invest more in R&D to catch up with countries like France and Germany” and “I feel disappointed that the UK invests less in R&D than France and Germany”. (February 2023)
  • Arguments for investing in R&D because of the rise of Russia or China performed less well than other framings, such as the risk of pandemics or cyber attacks. (October 2023)
  • In focus groups, some described arguments framed around international competition as “blackmail” or “a threat”.

Men, older people and those in socioeconomic group AB tend to respond more positively towards international comparisons:

  • Men, older people and those in socioeconomic group AB were more supportive of the UK being a world-leader in R&D, and in the UK investing more than similar countries. (July 2022)
  • Men, older people and those in socioeconomic group AB were more likely to feel it was a problem that “the UK invests less than France or Germany” into R&D. (February 2023)
  • Younger people were less likely to agree with the statement “I would like the UK to be the best in the world at science and innovation” (56% for 18-24s versus 80% for over 65s). (February 2023)

Focusing on pride can be more effective:

  • 25% selected R&D as a national strength of the UK, although this is lower than history and traditions (32%), culture (29%) and UK businesses (26%). (May 2022)
  • Some focus group participants spoke of their pride in the UK’s current and historical success in R&D, saying the UK should be proud of R&D since “history tells us that we’ve been great innovators”.

Talking about R&D

Although there is no ‘silver bullet’ term, “Research & Development” is a familiar term that gains support in the context of education, jobs and investment. Pro-R&D arguments tend to be more compelling than those against R&D investment, particularly when framed around helping the next generation, saving lives or benefits to jobs, education and the economy. There is appetite to learn more about local R&D including through the news and open days to local research organisations.

Terminology

There is no ‘silver bullet’ term for describing the combined breadth of research activities, but “Research & Development” is a familiar term that gains support in the context of education, jobs and investment. The public view it as an umbrella term that can apply to many activities and prefer it to “Research & Innovation”.

The R&D community use many different terms to talk about what they do, and this ‘terminology clutter’ risks making it harder for the sector to talk about its collective value. To identify which terms perform well in different scenarios, our 2022-23 study tested a range of alternative terms to R&D, including typical and less commonly used options.

At an appropriate point, respondents were provided with a definition of R&D based on the Frascati definition: Research and Development (R&D) refers to any work that aims to solve a problem or increase what we know. This includes what we know about humankind, culture and society, as well as what we know about the world around us. R&D can lead to new discoveries and ideas, or the invention or improvement of products and services. In short, R&D is often the first step to creating something new. 

In May 2022 we tested R&D against other terms – innovation, investigation, invention, creativity, science and discovery – after the definition of R&D was provided:

  • “Innovation” was the strongest alternative, with 39% saying it would be better than “Research & Development”.
  • 57% said “Innovation” meant exactly or broadly the same as “Research & Development”.
  • No term outperformed “Research & Development” when testing support for the Government investing money into the activities.
  • At the end of the survey, 87% said “Research & Development” was a very or somewhat clear way of talking about the topic.

In July 2022, before the definition of R&D was provided, we tested “Research and Development” against a set of other terms: new discoveries, innovation, and science:

  • When used in realistic messages, “Science” and “Research & Development” generated broadly equivalent levels of agreement or support, although the public were more likely to say “science” had a positive impact on their lives.
  • “New Discoveries” consistently performed worse than the other terms.

In February 2023, we provided a broad list of research activities, such as examining how parks can improve people’s health and wellbeing, and testing a new artificial intelligence programme:

  • When asked to select the terms that described all the activities as a group, 66% chose “Research and Development” (66%), followed by “Research” (57%), then “Innovation” (50%) and “Science and Technology” (50%).
  • When asked to choose just one term, 39% selected “Research and Development”, followed by “Research” (10%).

In October 2023, we compared two widely-used terms, “Research & Development” and “Research & Innovation”, in more detail. We found that:

  • The terms can be used relatively interchangeably in a range of realistic contexts – for instance in messages about creating jobs or the government investing into R&D – without impacting attitudes.
  • When asked whether it made more sense to talk about R&D or R&I for a range of different research activities, R&D was generally selected over R&I.
  • 78% preferred the term “Research & Development”. Free text responses described R&D as “easier to understand” or “more certain”, while R&I was described as a “buzzword”.

Messages

Pro-R&D arguments tend to be more compelling than those against R&D investment, particularly when framed around helping the next generation, saving lives or benefits to jobs, education and the economy. The public value realism, transparency and honesty in messaging about R&D.

Our 2022-23 study explored a range of arguments for and against R&D. Full details can be explored in the Messages and Messaging and Taglines and Slogans sections from this study. We can also make a series of broader observations about what qualities the public value in R&D messaging, drawn from all our quantitative and qualitative research. Our Advocacy Toolkit provides advice for those wanting to engage different audiences, based on the insights from our research.

Across our research, we found that the public:

  • Value the opportunity to discuss R&D when information is provided in a specific, relevant and jargon-free way.
  • Want to find a personal connection to R&D, either through the issue being tackled or the location that it is happening in.
  • May be sceptical or distrust depictions of R&D that feel too vague or unrealistically grand.
  • Want to be reassured that money is being invested rather than disappearing into a “black hole”, with clear appetite for honest and transparent discussions about R&D.
  • Feel more compelled by pro-R&D arguments framed around problem-solving, creating a better future or helping the next generation.

When considering specific messages in favour of R&D, our May 2022 survey found that more than 6 in 10 saw these as strong arguments:

  • “We are surrounded by the outputs of successful R&D, such as the Coronavirus vaccine and other life-saving medicines. The money we invest now could save my life in the future”.
  • “Whether it’s a changing climate or an aging population, we live in an uncertain world. We won’t solve those problems without fresh ideas, so R&D is our best hope for a better future”.
  • “We are benefiting from the investments that previous generations made in R&D. If we don’t invest now, we’ll miss out on new ideas that could improve the lives of future generations”.

Our July 2022 survey found around 7 in 10 said that the following arguments were strong:

  • “Investing in R&D will help create a better future for us and the next generation”.
  • “Investing in R&D is essential if we want to solve problems”.

When asked about messages specifically framed around the best or most convincing reasons to invest more money in R&D, we found:

  • 56% said “because we need to invest now so we’re ready to solve problems in the future” was a strong argument. (July 2022) 
  • 67% said that “The risk of future pandemics like Covid” and “Risks of cyber attacks or online spying from other countries” meant that the UK should invest more in R&D. (October 2023)
  • When asked what would convince them it was worth investing money in R&D, the best performing suggestions were examples of the positive impact of R&D taking place at the moment and examples where R&D has had a positive impact in the past. (February 2023)

We have also consistently found that boosts to the economy, job creation and education opportunities are seen as benefits of R&D investment. These are described in more detail in the section on Benefits.

Finally, when considering what works less well, we found:

  • Pro-R&D arguments focused on international competition or comparisons consistently perform less well, although some audiences respond more strongly than others –particularly older people, men and those in socioeconomic group AB.
  • The most convincing anti-R&D arguments were those that talked about there being more pressing issues, or that public money is tight. 

Ways to engage the public

Almost a fifth of the public haven’t taken part in any R&D-related activity in the past six months, but there is appetite to learn more about local R&D including through the news and open days to local research organisations.

The public can encounter R&D in a number of ways, including through friends or family, at work or on TV. We found that:

  • 44% had watched a TV show or film about R&D, and 33% had read an article in the news about a new piece of research in the past six months. (July 2022)
  • Just 9% had visited a university in the past six months. (July 2022)
  • Almost a fifth had done none of the listed activities – rising to just over a quarter of those in socioeconomic group DE. (July 2022)
  • 49% said they talked about about new discoveries and inventions with their friends and families. (February 2023)

The public expressed an interest in learning more about R&D, including at a national and local level. We found that:

  • 73% would like to hear more about R&D being carried out in the UK. (March/April 2024)
  • 65% would like to hear more about the R&D being done in their area. (July 2022)
  • 69% would be interested in finding out more about why the UK invests in R&D, with interest being higher among men and those in socioeconomic group AB. (February 2023)
  • 53% expressed an interest in participating in R&D, largely driven by younger groups. (March/April 2024)
  • Focus group participants said personal connections would convince them to find out more about R&D, and this is supported by polling.

Articles in the media and local open days are the most popular ways for people to find out more about R&D. We found that:

  • To learn more about local R&D, 47% said they would be interested in reading articles in local newspapers. Around a third would be interested in participating in a local research study or going to open days at local research institutions or universities. (July 2022)
  • When asked where they would go to find out more about R&D in the UK, 44% said Government sources, followed by online articles and media from other sources (40%), newspapers (26%) and education institutions (25%). For 18-24 year-olds, online articles was first (37%), followed by YouTube (33%). (February 2023)
  • 72% would support their MP campaigning for a new scheme for local school children to visit research centres. (March/April 2024)

R&D actors

The public recognise the role that different organisations play in funding and carrying out R&D, but attitudes towards these actors differ. Universities and research charities are seen as more altruistic, while businesses are viewed as profit-driven – although the latter is not always seen negatively.

  • When provided with a list of organisations, universities, large businesses and the national Government are ranked in the top three as organisations that both carry out and fund the most R&D. (July 2022)
  • Just 18% thought that charities fund large amounts of R&D, substantially lower than the top three organisations. (July 2022)
  • 53% thought R&D was no better or worse when funded by private companies for profit versus by Government and charities not for profit. (July 2022)
  • Most focus group participants instinctively thought of private sector organisations and products when asked to describe R&D, often including consumer tech and drug development.
  • When asked to describe different R&D actors’ motivations when carrying out research, focus group participants tended to think universities or charities would be more altruistic in their motivations – however they were expected to be slower to produce results.
  • Focus group participants often saw businesses as profit-driven but some felt private sector investment in R&D was a necessary part of the R&D system that took the pressure off public funds and saved taxpayers’ money.

Universities

Universities’ role in the R&D system is not instinctively clear to the public, but opinions are generally positive towards university-based R&D and researchers, including international researchers.

Universities’ role in the R&D system is not instinctively clear to the public. We found:

  • When prompted with a list of organisations, 46% said universities carried out a large amount of R&D and 33% said they funded a large amount, putting them in the top three funders alongside large businesses and national government. (July 2022)
  • However, in an unprompted scenario when focus group participants were asked where R&D happens, universities were rarely mentioned.
  • Focus group participants assumed university-based R&D would be slower to deliver results than the private sector, perhaps reinforced by a perception that R&D in universities was delivered by students or lecturers “in their spare time”.

The public has a broadly positive view of universities:

  • Focus group participants described university R&D as altruistic, global and collaborative.
  • Around half of people think universities have a positive impact on the UK and their local area, and that they produce high quality R&D. (June 2024)
  • 69% agreed that “The universities in the UK are some of the best in the world”. When asked why, 54% selected because many international students want to study in them, followed by high quality facilities, researchers and teaching staff. (June 2024)
  • 51% trust universities to be honest about R&D investment and many university-linked voices are seen as trustworthy, interesting and reliable sources of information on R&D. (July 2022)

The public think it is important for the UK to have good universities, and believe resourcing and staff are important for this. We found that:

  • 69% said it was important that the UK is regarded as having the best universities in the world. (June 2024)
  • When asked what universities need in order to produce high quality R&D, the most selected answers were well-resourced R&D facilities like laboratories (49%) and to employ leading researchers in academic roles (42%). (June 2024)

The public are generally positive towards international students and researchers. We explored this in our June 2024 poll, and found that:

  • A plurality (42%) believe UK universities should not change the number of international students they accept.
  • In a separate question, a majority (52%) felt UK universities should be accepting more UK-based mature or post-secondary school students.
  • A majority are happy for international students to come to the UK if it helps UK universities’ work or contributes to the wider economy, and a majority said they were proud students from around the world want to come to universities in the UK.
  • When asked about the advantages of UK universities employing international researchers, the most selected answer was that it brings a diversity of ideas and culture to the UK (37%). Other commonly chosen answers related to improved opportunities to collaborate internationally, international relations, strengthening the quality of R&D and bringing in top talent, as well as benefits to the economy.
  • When presented with hypothetical immigration reforms that damaged R&D and university recruitment, the public were more likely to see these reforms as a failure rather than a success.

Jobs and skills

The public links R&D investment with job creation, thinks positively about R&D jobs and believes it is important for children to learn skills that would help them to secure a job in R&D. However, people tend to think R&D jobs won’t be available in their area, and young people are more likely to think R&D jobs will be difficult or short-lived.

The public believes that greater R&D investment will create the types of jobs they want the Government to prioritise. We found:

  • The public wants the Government to work hardest to create jobs in areas of high unemployment (50%), jobs for young people at the start of their careers (49%), and jobs that provide a long-lasting stable career (48%). (March/April 2024)
  • The public thinks that greater R&D investment would create jobs that make the UK more competitive on the global stage (48%); jobs for young people at the start of their careers (45%); jobs that provide a long-lasting stable career (45%); and jobs that benefit society more broadly (44%). (March/April 2024)
  • Our polling and focus groups consistently show that most people think that arguments framed around jobs are strong or compelling reasons to invest in R&D.

Most people who support local and regional R&D say this is because of the potential for job creation. We found:

  • Public support for new R&D jobs being created in their area ranges from 50% in June 2024 to 67% in March/April 2024.
  • Of those who said it was important their region carries out a lot of R&D, 71% said this was because of the local jobs it would generate. (July 2022)
  • Of those who would support a new research lab being built in their local area, 60% said it would bring more well-paid jobs to their area. (February 2023)
  • 57% said that a benefit of having local R&D were more jobs in the area. (October 2023)

The public see R&D jobs positively, and most would be interested in R&D jobs or support children learning the right skills for R&D jobs. We found:

  • 43% felt R&D jobs would have better pay than other jobs, and 40% said they would have good progression opportunities. (March/April 2024)
  • 64% said R&D jobs were important, 60% said they were interesting and 32% said they were well-paid. Older people saw them in a more positive light, while younger groups were more likely to say they were difficult, competitive or short-lasting. (October 2023)
  • 62% would be very or somewhat interested in a job in R&D. (March/April 2024)
  • 79% want the UK to train and develop more scientists and innovators from this country. (February 2023)
  • When asked how important it is for schools to give children the skills they need for R&D jobs, 27% said they were among the most important skills to learn, and 55% said they were important but that other skills were more important. (October 2023)

However, the public don’t believe R&D jobs will be accessible to everyone across the UK. We found that:

  • Just 18% saw R&D jobs as being more accessible than other jobs. (March/April 2024)
  • Just 28% felt R&D investment would create jobs in areas with high unemployment and only 25% felt the jobs would be open to people who find it difficult to find employment. (March/April 2024)
  • 45% said that R&D jobs would be elsewhere in the country, rather than in their local area (26%). (March/April 2024)

Timeframes

The long timeframes associated with R&D are not something the sector should try to hide, and are not a blocker to public support. Many people recognise that complex problems, such as climate change, take time to solve and expect a time lag before research pays off. Some want to see quicker results, especially around immediate problems such as the cost of living, but the public’s priority is for honesty and transparency about the timelines to impact. 

The public recognise that R&D solutions take time to yield benefits, although many do prefer quicker impacts:

  • When comparing R&D and non-R&D solutions to a problem, the public anticipate that the R&D option would take longer to positively impact their lives. (May 2022)
  • Most people recognised that benefits would not come immediately, with less than a 15% selecting ‘within a year’ for when benefits to R&D into state of the economy, quality of the NHS and cost of living. A similarly small proportion selected ‘after 2030’, apart from for climate change, where respondents felt that benefits would take longer to appear, with 26% selecting after 2030. (May 2022)

The public generally feel like longer time periods are acceptable and crucially that this R&D is still worth investing in, especially for health and environmental research.

  • When asked in multiple polls whether R&D that took either 1, 5, 10, 20 or 25 years to pay off would be worthwhile, for each time period, a plurality – between 45% and 58% – said it was worth investing in and takes about the right amount of time.  (October 2023 and June 2024, Global-Facing R&D)
  • For a 25 year period, 45% said that it was worth investing in, and takes about the right amount of time, while 34% said it would be too long to be a worthwhile investment. (October 2023)
  • Solutions to the cost of living that take more than 10 years are seen as not worthwhile for half of respondents, while longer waits are more acceptable for medicines and climate change. (October 2023)
  • When asked directly how long research should take to get results to be worth investing government money in, the most-selected answer was at most 4-5 years (selected by 25%). Notably, 20% said that they didn’t know. (October 2023)

Many focus group participants said that the timeframe was less important to them than the issue that was being addressed. Some explained that the problems being tackled were complex and should be expected to take longer to solve – or that they were simply worth taking the time to solve. Most participants felt it was vital there was accountability and greater information provided when a project had a longer timeframe.

Demographics

Age was one of the strongest differentiators of opinion in our polling, with younger groups less likely to see R&D’s benefits or support investment. To a lesser degree, women and those in socioeconomic group DE were also generally less positive towards R&D.

Age was one of the strongest differentiators of opinion, with younger groups less likely to see R&D’s benefits or support investment. We have consistently found that support for R&D decreases by age group, with a notable difference between the bottom three age groups we tested – from 18 to 44 years old – compared with the three groups of over-45s. We found that:

  • 72% of 35-44s either agreed that “R&D doesn’t benefit people like me” or were neutral or unsure, compared with 43% for over-65s. (May 2022)
  • Almost half of 25-34s agreed that “We currently invest too much in R&D rather than solving issues that matter now”, compared with 21% of over-65s. (May 2022)
  • Just 23% of 18-24s think that R&D is one of the most important things for the UK to be investing in, compared with 48% of over-65s. (February 2023)
  • 24% of 18-24s said we should invest more in R&D now, compared with 47% of over-65s. Instead, younger groups were more likely to say the UK should invest more in Research & Development, but only when the economy is in better shape. (February 2023)
  • Under 35s were more likely to agree that the UK cannot afford to invest in R&D at the moment. Some 34% of 18-24s agreed with this statement, compared with 12% for over-65s. (February 2023) 
  • 18-24s were less likely to say that R&D would generate new local jobs (60%, compared with an average of 71%) or bring investment to their area (47%, compared with an average of 64%). (July 2022) 
  • Younger people were less likely to agree with the statement “I would like the UK to be the best in the world at science and innovation” (56% for 18-24s versus 80% for over 65s). (February 2023) 
  • Younger groups were much more likely to support increasing the R&D budget when it was clearly linked to an issue they care about. However, a desire for urgent change means they may also support cutting the budget in favour of a non-R&D approach if positioned as an immediate solution. (July 2022)

Our evidence suggests that women are generally less positive towards R&D.

  • Women were more likely to say there are other things more important to invest in now than R&D. (February 2023)
  • Women were less likely to feel they benefit from R&D: a third (33%) disagreed that “R&D doesn’t benefit people like me” compared with almost half (46%) of men. (May 2022)

Socioeconomic groups describe the types of job someone does and are based on the main income earner in the household. Those in socioeconomic group DE are less likely to feel R&D’s benefits, while those in group AB have greater awareness of and more opportunities to engage with R&D and tend to be more supportive of R&D investment.

  • 64% of those in group AB said they had heard of R&D and knew what it meant, compared with 28% in group DE. (February 2023)
  • 46% of those in group AB think we should invest more in R&D now, compared with 28% of those in group DE, driven by those in group DE being more likely to select ‘Don’t know’. (February 2023)
  • 22% of those in group AB agreed that “R&D does not benefit people like me”, compared with 33% of those in group DE. (May 2022)
  • 46% of those in group DE agreed that R&D had improved their lives; compared with 70% of those in group AB. (February 2023)
  • Focus group participants in groups C2 and D said R&D made things more expensive, or that the products and benefits of R&D weren’t accessible to them.

We saw few notable differences between parents and non-parents, and there is no strong evidence from our dataset that ethnicity is a significant differentiator of opinions towards R&D. There were few major differences in attitudes between UK regions, or between urban and rural locations – but place is a strong connection point for R&D. Our briefing with further details on other demographic variables can be found here.

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