原文2023年9月14日发布于South China Morning Post 南华早报，标题：《China’s hi-tech ambitions under threat with scientific literacy inadequate to support innovation-driven economy》，风云之声授权转载原文，并做以下中文翻译。
China’s hi-tech ambitions under threat with scientific literacy inadequate to support innovation-driven economy
中国的高科技野心受到威胁，科学素养不足以支持创新驱动型经济
作者：Mandy Zuo、Echo Xie | 南华早报
Only 13% of China’s population was found to have a high level of knowledge in the field, a rate seen as too low to drive innovation and grow talent pool amid tech war with US
中国只有13%的人口在该领域具有较高的知识水平，这一比例被认为太低，无法在中美科技战争中推动创新和增加人才储备
Should you wrap a quilt around you to make you sweat when suffering from a fever? Will your skin get darker if you frequently use dark brown soy sauce?
当你发烧的时候，你是否应该裹一床被子让你出汗？如果你经常食用深褐色酱油，你的皮肤会变黑吗？
These questions may seem simple, but in China, they have repeatedly become subjects of debate in families, often creating divides.
这些问题看似简单，但在中国，却一再成为家庭争论的话题，常常造成分歧。
And while Beijing has vowed to rely on a so-called talent dividend to drive innovation and high-quality development, the general public still have low scientific knowledge, with only 13 per cent categorised as scientifically literate in a nationwide, government-led survey released in August.
尽管中国政府致力于依靠所谓的“人才红利”来推动创新和高质量发展，但公众的科学知识水平仍然很低，在8月份发布的一项由政府主导的全国性调查中，只有13%的公众被列为科学素养较高的群体。
On paper, the level marks a significant leap forward, considering that in 2005, the same survey showed the figure stood at just 1.6 per cent.
理论上，这一水平标志着一个重大飞跃，因为2005年的同一项调查显示，这一数字仅为1.6%。
But it is seen as still way too low in relation to China's ambition to grow its science and technology talent pool to support its push for independent innovation amid a tech war with the United States.
但同中国在与美国的科技战争中扩大科技人才库以支持其推动自主创新的雄心相比，这个数字还是太低了。
The latest survey, conducted by the state-backed China Research Institute for Science Popularisation (CRISP) last year, assessed residents aged between 18 and 69 across China.
这项最新的调查是由国家支持的中国科学普及研究院去年进行的，调查对象是中国各地年龄在18岁至69岁之间的居民。
Those who scored 70 or above out of 100 across four sections – scientific spirit, scientific knowledge, scientific methods and the ability to solve problems – would be defined as scientifically literate.
那些在科学精神、科学知识、科学方法和解决问题的能力这四个部分得分在70分以上的学生将被定义为具备科学素养。
Studies by multiple organisations in recent years showed the level is several times higher in the US, though their methods may differ.
近年来，多家机构研究表明，美国的这一水平要高出几倍，尽管它们的方法可能有所不同。
"Continuous efforts are needed if we want to narrow our gap with the US, and to realise our goal to be a global leader in innovation and technology by 2035." the CRISP researchers said.
CRISP的研究人员表示： “要缩小与美国的差距，实现到 2035 年跻身创新型国家前列、建成科技强国的发展目标，我国仍需在整体上持续发力。”
China aims to see 15 per cent of its population become scientifically literate by 2025 before increasing the ratio to 25 per cent by 2035, according to a 2021 national guideline on promoting the popularisation of science.
根据2021年颁布的《关于新时代进一步加强科学技术普及工作的意见》 ，中国计划到2025年，实现公民具备科学素质比例超过15%，2035年提高至25%。
"Chinese citizens' science literacy is still very low in whatever standard, and it's not enough to support our goal to become an innovation-driven economy," said Yuan Lan-Feng, a popular science vlogger and an associate professor at the University of Science and Technology of China.
“无论从什么标准来衡量，我国的公民科学素养肯定是远远不够高的，还不足以满足我们建设创新型国家的需求。”科普视频博主、中国科学技术大学副研究员袁岚峰说。
"One typical example is how people heatedly debate whether the American astronauts' landing on the moon in 1969 really occurred, and how such debates repeatedly make headlines.”
“例如一个美国1969年载人登月是真是假的话题，都能争论好几年，不久前还掀起了一阵高潮，这就是公民科学素养不足的一个典型表现。
"Many people look at issues based on their feelings, not scientific principles."
“许多人看问题不是讲科学原理，而是讲情绪。”
Another example was the widespread opposition to genetically modified (GM) food, said Sun Yutao, a professor at the Dalian University of Technology and an expert on science policy.
另一个例子是广泛反对转基因食品，大连理工大学教授、科学政策专家孙玉涛说。
"You can tell from people's attitudes towards GM food. There are many different voices on GM food in China, but it's clear in science," he said.
“你可以从人们对转基因食品的态度中看出来。对于转基因食品，中国有许多不同的声音，但在科学上是清楚的。”他说。
In comparison, a survey by the Pew Research Centre in 2019 found that about 40 per cent of Americans were classified as possessing high science knowledge by providing more than nine correct answers from a total of 11 questions.
相比之下，皮尤研究中心(Pew Research Centre)2019年的一项调查发现，约40% 的美国人被归类为拥有高科学知识，他们在总共11个问题中提供了9个以上的正确答案。
The questions included antibiotics overuse, the definition of an incubation period and the main components of antacids.
问题包括过度使用抗生素、疾病潜伏期的定义和抗酸剂的主要成分。
In another report in 2020, researchers from Michigan State University and the US National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics found that in 2018, Americans correctly answered an average of 62 per cent of the nine items from the "long-running factual knowledge questions".
在另一份2020年的报告中，密歇根州立大学和美国国家科学与工程统计中心(National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics)的研究人员发现，2018年，美国人在“长期事实知识问题”的9个项目中，平均回答正确率为62% 。
The result from 2018 was statistically similar to averages in recent years and the historical average since 1992, the researchers said in their "Science and Technology: Public Attitudes, Knowledge and Interest" report.
研究人员在他们的“科学技术：公众态度、知识和兴趣”报告中说，2018年的结果在统计学上与近年来的平均水平和1992年以来的历史平均水平相似。
Calling science literacy the "foundation of advancement in civilisation and technological innovation", the CRISP researchers said China needed to improve quickly to enhance the quality of human resources.
CRISP的研究人员将科学素养称为“文明进步和技术创新的基础”，他们表示，中国需要改善这一指标以提升人力资源质量。
Science literacy is also "essential for both personal decision-making and for good public policy." said Jon Miller, research scientist emeritus at the University of Michigan.
科学素养也“对个人决策和良好的公共政策至关重要，”密歇根大学荣誉退休研究科学家乔恩•米勒(Jon Miller)表示。
His team has found that educated populations were more likely to have a positive attitude towards vaccination for Covid-19.
他的团队发现，受过教育的人群更有可能对2019冠状病毒疾病疫苗接种持积极态度。
In a 2020 survey, they found that 61 per cent of adults with a bachelor's degree in the US said they would definitely or probably get a vaccination when it became available, compared to 39 per cent of high school graduates.
在2020年的一项调查中，他们发现，在美国拥有学士学位的成年人中，有61% 的人表示，一旦疫苗可用，他们肯定或可能会接种，而高中毕业生中这一比例为39%。
"That pattern was true within the United States and Europe and I expect that it was true in all countries, including China." he said.
“这种模式在美国和欧洲是正确的，我预计在所有国家都是正确的，包括中国。”他说。
"As a matter of public policy, the world is now experiencing a crisis regarding climate change and all countries must stop mining and burning coal and related fossil fuels as soon as possible.
“作为一项公共政策，全球正在经历一场气候变化危机，所有国家都必须尽快停止开采和燃烧煤炭及相关化石燃料。
"That kind of decision will require both government leadership and the support of citizens."
“这种决定既需要政府的引导，也需要公民的支持。”
Miller, who has studied scientific literacy for about five decades and has developed a measure that has been used in both China and the US, said that 13 per cent science literacy in China was a reasonable estimate. He also noted a big regional difference as a key feature.
米勒研究科学素养大约已有50年，并开发了一种在中美两国都使用的测量方法。他表示，中国13%的科学素养是一个合理的估计。他还指出，一个关键特征是存在巨大的地区差异。
Recalling a discussion with then vice-premier Li Lanqing two decades ago, he said, "I expect that the situation has improved a great deal since that time, but the rural areas would still lag behind China's major cities."
他回忆起20年前与时任国务院副总理李岚清的一次讨论，他说: “我预计，自那时以来，情况已经有了很大改善，但农村地区仍然落后于中国的主要城市。”
According to the CRISP study, about 15.3 per cent of citizens in eastern China were classified as having science literacy in 2022, much higher than 12 per cent in central regions and 10.3 per cent in the west of the country.
根据CRISP的研究，到2022年，中国东部地区约有15.3%的公民被列为具有科学素养，远高于中部地区的12% 和西部地区的10.3% 。
Farmers and respondents in their 60s are also seen to drag down the overall level at 6.67 per cent and 4.42 per cent, respectively, the survey found.
调查还发现，农民和60多岁的受访者也被认为拖累了总体水平，分别为6.67% 和4.42% 。
And considering China's fast ageing population and its vast rural areas, which often lack resources for public education, improving their knowledge would be the key challenge in the future, it said.
考虑到中国快速老龄化的人口和广大的农村地区往往缺乏公共教育资源，提高他们的知识水平将是未来的关键挑战。
When it comes to the younger generation, more attention should be given to their scientific study on and off campus, according to Yuan, the science vlogger.
科学视频博主袁岚峰表示，对于年轻一代，应该更多地关注他们在校内外的科学学习。
"From the perspective of nurturing talent, we fail to go deep enough on hard science, such as maths, physics and chemistry, in our education, which has held up the progress of young people." he said.
他表示: “从培养人才的角度来看，我们对数理化等硬科学的教育深度是太低了，而不是太高了，大大地耽误了青少年成才。”
A 2022 survey of over 54,000 primary and middle school students in Hunan, a central province that has the ninth highest gross domestic product among China's 31 provincial-level jurisdictions, showed that 60 per cent of science teachers were regarded as unqualified.
2022年对湖南省逾5.4万名中小学生进行的一项调查显示，60%的科学教师被认为不合格。湖南是中国中部省份，在中国31个省级行政区中，湖南的国内生产总值(GDP)排名第九。
Primary schools in the province were also using substitute teachers to make up for a shortfall of over 5,200 science teachers, while more than a half of its school laboratories were under-equipped, showed the study published in July in the state-backed Hunan Daily.
官方媒体《湖南日报》7月份发表的一份研究报告显示，湖南省存在5200多名科学教师的缺口，而该省一半以上的学校实验室设备不足。
And regardless of the amount of education, an exam-focused system has produced many masters and PhDs without a corresponding level of understating in science, said Xiong Bingqi, director of the Beijing-based 21st Century Education Research Institute.
北京21世纪教育研究院院长熊丙奇表示，无论教育水平如何，以考试为中心的教育体系培养出了许多硕士和博士，但他们在科学方面却没有达到相应的水平。
"Students may have scored high in exams, acquired a lot of knowledge, but they often lack judgment and critical thinking. There isn't a positive correlation between the increase in the length of education and the improvement in people's ability." Xiong said.
“学生可能在考试中取得了高分，获得了大量知识，但他们往往缺乏判断力和批判性思维。求学年限与能力的增长并非正相关的关系。”熊丙奇说。
Beijing has been promoting the notion of talent dividend amid concerns over its disappearing demographic dividend, repeatedly quoting the expansion in higher education and improved education for all.
在人们对中国人口红利消失感到担忧之际，中国政府一直在推广人才红利的概念，一再援引高等教育扩张和全民教育改善的例子。
Demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population's age structure, mainly when the share of the labour force is large.
人口红利是指人口年龄结构转变可能带来的经济增长潜力，主要是在劳动力所占比例较大的情况下。
For China, its stance on its declining population is that "the population dividend has not disappeared, while a talent dividend is in the making".
对中国而言，其对人口下降的立场是，“人口红利并未消失，而人才红利正在形成”。
By last year, China had more than 240 million people with a higher education, and those just entering the job market had received an average of 14 years of education, official data showed.
官方数据显示，截至去年，中国有超过2.4亿人接受过高等教育，而那些刚刚进入就业市场的人平均接受了14年的教育。
Lu Mingtao, a researcher with the National Institution for Finance and Development, said that there has been an increasing interest in science in recent years.
国家金融与发展研究所的研究员陆明涛说，近年来人们对科学的兴趣越来越浓厚。
"One good example is the high acceptance of artificial intelligence, which may be higher than in major developed countries. This shows people's recognition of modern technology." he said.
“一个很好的例子就是人工智能的广泛接受程度，可能高于主要发达国家。这表明人们对现代技术的认可。”
上周，在河北省举办的中国国际数字经济博览会上，一名参观者与机器人握手。图片来源: 新华网
"The popularity of science fiction, such as the China-made blockbuster The Wandering Earth, is another example that China has a big number of people with high science literacy."
“科幻小说的流行，例如中国制作的大片《流浪地球》 ，是中国拥有大量高科学素养人群的又一个例子。”
The Wandering Earth, a 2019 science fiction film starring martial artist Jacky Wu, is based on a short story of the same name by renowned Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin. The film focuses on efforts to move the earth out of its orbit and sail to a new system after the sun dies out.
《流浪地球》是2019年的一部科幻电影，由功夫演员吴京主演，改编自中国著名科幻作家刘慈欣的同名短篇小说。这部电影的重点是努力将地球移出轨道，并在太阳消失后航行到一个新的系统。
Dalian University of Technology professor Sun also noted that there has been a change in societal attitudes towards science in recent years following a shift in China's policy on technological innovation and the needs of economic development.
大连理工大学教授孙玉涛还指出，随着中国技术创新政策的转变和经济发展的需要，近年来社会对科学的态度发生了变化。
"China's economic development has reached a stage that requires more support from science and technology." Sun said.
“中国的经济发展已经到了一个需要更多科技支持的阶段。”孙玉涛说。
"I think science is gradually becoming popular in China. Now many top students prefer to learn science and engineering, but in previous years, they would choose finance or international trade."
“我认为科学在中国正逐渐流行起来。如今，许多顶尖学生更喜欢学习科学和工程，但在过去几年，他们会选择金融或国际贸易。”
如需联系作者或转载文章，请发信至[email protected]
风云之声
科学 · 爱国 · 价值
继续阅读
阅读原文
关键词
in the
经济
and the
per cent
per cent of