According to a study conducted by Vetenskap & Allmänhet, a Swedish association aimed at promoting dialogue and trust between the public and researchers, politicians are not using important research results in the field of medical research, technology or natural science.
Paradoxically, according to interviews undertaken by the study, the same politicians say that these three science fields have the greatest influence on societal development.
Also contradictory is the fact that politicians admit "social sciences and the humanities are thought to be much less influential on societal development" but add that it is social sciences and humanities that form the basis of policy proposals.
The authors of the study suggest that this dilemma could be due to the fact that politicians often have a background in social sciences and may find information on natural sciences more difficult to understand.
"Researchers and politicians live in different worlds, speak different languages and have different perspectives," state the authors and say that same conclusions can be drawn from other studies carried out in different countries.
The study suggests that researchers and politicians could understand each other better if provided with more possibilities for contact, dialogue and new ways to exchange information. Providing politicians with easy-to-digest summaries of research information could also improve their access to research.
