中国科协：公民科学素质是国家参与全球治理的“软实力”

Core Viewpoint - The Chinese Association for Science and Technology emphasizes that the scientific literacy of citizens is a key variable affecting the development of new productive forces and serves as "soft power" for the country's participation in global governance [1][3]. Group 1: Scientific Literacy Development - The changing population structure in China demands more from scientific literacy construction, with emerging technologies like AI and big data reshaping the science popularization ecosystem [3]. - The Chinese Association for Science and Technology is leading the national scientific literacy initiative, focusing on three key areas: enhancing the supply of cutting-edge and inclusive science popularization resources, accelerating the application of new technologies in science popularization, and promoting a new socialized model of science popularization [3]. Group 2: Achievements in Scientific Literacy - During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, significant improvements in the system for science popularization and the enhancement of public scientific literacy have been noted, with a growing societal atmosphere that values innovation [3][4]. - By 2024, the proportion of Chinese citizens with scientific literacy is projected to reach 15.37%, an increase of 4.81 percentage points from 2020, achieving the 2025 target ahead of schedule [4]. - The disparity in scientific literacy development across different regions and demographics has significantly improved, with the proportion of citizens possessing basic scientific literacy estimated at 44.07%, corresponding to approximately 440 million people aged 18-69 [5].