41% of Spaniards believe that governments have produced viruses to control their freedom.

41.6% of Spaniards say viruses have been produced in government laboratories to control their freedom; 33.3% believe a cure for cancer exists, but is being kept hidden from the public for commercial reasons; and 24.5% believe the government is trying to conceal the relationship between vaccines and autism. This is reflected in the latest 2024 Social Perception of Science and Technology Survey , published this Wednesday by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

The survey presented a series of conspiracy-theorized claims related to vaccines and other scientific advances to identify the extent of such discourse in the public eye.

The two statements linked to distrust of companies due to their economic interests received the most support. Thus, more than half of the population (56.6%) believes that problems such as pollution and climate change already have technical solutions, but strong economic interests prevent them from being implemented. Furthermore, 50.1% believe that pharmaceutical companies hide the dangers of vaccines . Specifically, this percentage has doubled since the 2020 survey, when the COVID pandemic hit and 24% expressed this distrust.

When analyzing the influence of other variables, it is clear that educational level and socioeconomic status play a key role in the acceptance of conspiracy theory claims. As these levels increase, the degree of agreement with these beliefs decreases. This trend is different with the claim that pharmaceutical companies hide the dangers of vaccines, which is shared by a significant portion of the population, regardless of educational or economic level.

Compared to the data from the previous wave (2022), a significant increase has been detected in the number of people who agree that the Government is trying to hide the relationship between vaccines and autism (30% in 2022 compared to 50.1% in 2024).

Interest and confidence in science

The results of the survey, conducted based on 4,521 interviews distributed by autonomous community and habitat size, show a majority of citizens interested in scientific topics, with high levels of trust in research , but also with signs of stagnation and contradiction in some key attitudes. Interest in science and technology has experienced a slight spontaneous rebound (13.2% in 2024; 12.3% in 2022), consolidating the recovery in 2022 after the decline in 2020.

When it comes to media outlets for information on science and technology, television is the most frequently cited channel (47.3%), although social media and online video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok are gaining ground (38.5% and 31.9%, respectively), especially among young people.

The perception of the scientific information received is ambivalent. While a majority believes it is presented positively (85%), true (69.5%), and understandable (68.5%), some believe it is superficial (66.6%) and insufficient (80.2%).

Spanish citizens trust science, but want it to be closer to the people. Trust in research is high (4.09 out of 5). There is also high trust in scientists, but only 37.2% believe they take the public into account or adequately report the results of their work (36.3%).

Regarding specific applications, the most highly rated are those related to health (70.6%) and quality of life in society (54.8%). In the case of climate change, the dominant position is one of fragile confidence in the institutional capacity to act fairly and effectively. The majority of the population recognizes that this is a serious problem (81.4%), and 69.7% attribute its cause to human action.

However, there is widespread suspicion that economic interests are blocking already available technical solutions (56.6%), reflecting a distrust of corporate climate action.

Citizens are divided about the potential impact of the ecological transition on their lives: 39.1% believe their lives will improve and 30% think new jobs will be created. There is a demand for distributive justice so that the costs do not fall on the most vulnerable (as 29.9% believe will happen).

Concern about AI

Regarding artificial intelligence (AI), there is an ambivalent position. On the one hand, there is widespread enthusiasm among citizens for AI, with a high level of use (over 80%) and recognition of its benefits.

On the other hand, despite the daily use of these technologies, there is distrust regarding their potential risks and various concerns arise. Many people do not know how they actually work and express concern about the security of personal data (42.4%), overconfidence in them (32.6%), and increased monitoring by governments (28.9%) and companies (16.7%).

Another concern relates to the potential impact on employment. Seven out of ten people believe that, in the next ten years, AI will partially or completely replace the work tasks they perform.

AI is seen simultaneously as a tool that helps and as a threat of replacement. Added to this is a sense of regulatory vacuum, where no institution commands sufficient social support to assume governance of these technologies. 34.4% support international organizations, 30.9% support the scientific community, and 23% support governments. A further 16.9% even mention the technology companies themselves.

The study concludes that citizens do not reject knowledge, but demand that it be oriented toward the common good, that it not be captured by particular interests, and that it engage with society as a whole. The majority perception of the state of science in Spain is that the country continues to lag behind the European average (65.5%).

"Citizens value science, need it, and trust it, but they demand greater institutional coherence, better communication, and more effective integration of the social, ethical, and political dimensions of scientific knowledge," the document states.