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Public perception of scientific advisory bodies: the case of France’s Covid-19 Scientific Council

Émilien Schultz, Jeremy K Ward and Laëtitia Atlani-Duault

Science and Public Policy, 2024, vol. 51, issue 2, 236-246

Abstract: During the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments have resorted to scientific advisory bodies to aid in public health decision-making. What then has been the public’s perception of those new structures of scientific advice? In this article, we draw on a survey conducted in November 2020 among a representative sample of the French adult population (n = 1,004) designed specifically to explore public perceptions of the dedicated Covid-19 Scientific Council created in March 2020 and of scientific advice in general. After only 8 months, three-quarters of French people said they had heard of it, but only a quarter had a positive opinion about its usefulness. Despite the diversity of perceptions of what scientific advice is and should be, it appeared that scientific advice bodies are perceived as useful mainly by a public already largely supportive of the delegation of the management of public life to the government and public institutions.

Keywords: scientific advice; France; Covid-19; health policy; public perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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