Nineteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge, and Society

Abstract

Our increasingly complex environmental, social, and economic pressures demand fast-tracked and potentially disruptive solutions from science and technology. Responsible innovation is about minimising social and ethical risks and delivering socially desirable outcomes from novel technologies. With societal benefits come potential risks when trying to solve complex challenges with novel and innovative solutions. Thus, public trust in scientists and the innovation sector when developing novel solutions is essential. While many studies focus on trust in science, especially on demographic and messaging factors, few focus on the trust needed in scientists and scientific institutions when developing novel and potentially risky technologies. In particular, little is know about how important public perceptions of responsible innovation may be for building trust in scientists and institutions in the innovation sector. This study develops a comprehensive set of reliable and valid measures for public perceptions of responsible innovation to understand how much these relate to trust in the innovation sector, as well as public expectations of socially responsible outcomes from novel innovations. A survey of 4,080 Australians found that two-thirds of public trust in the innovation sector could be explained by perceptions of science practices supporting responsiveness to the public; research ethics; risk management; and public confidence in the regulation of future science and technology. Furthermore, three-quarters of expected socially responsible outcomes could be explained by trust in the sector, together with perceived benefits. Perceptions of risks were less important than managing risk for public expectations of socially responsible outcomes.