Science communication 2.0: The situation of Spain through its public universities and the most widely-circulated online newspapers

Abstract

The level of scientific culture among young Spaniards is one of the lowest in Europe. The media, as spokes- persons to the public, and public universities, as the institutions responsible for higher education, are two important parties with the responsibility for changing this situation. This study analyses how both use the Internet and Web 2.0 to promote science. In the case of universities, the results demonstrate the effort they are making to connect science to these tools. 72.9% have a scientific news feed and almost a third have a profile on Facebook and Twitter. However, the role of Spanish science is still irrelevant in online newspapers. Only 35.4% of published information refers to research in Spain.