Some 1,600 researchers will be asked for their views on communicating their work and its implications to the general public and policy-makers. The survey will be conducted by MORI on behalf of the Wellcome Trust and the Office of Science and Technology.
The researchers will be asked how they see their role and responsibilities in communicating science, whether they feel equipped to explain their work and its implications and what they see as the barriers to better communication.
Interviews will begin next month with biomedical and physical scientists based in universities and colleges and centres funded by three of the research councils.