UK public support for R&D is ‘fragile’

R&D risks being seen as luxury rather than necessity amid cost of living crisis

Public support for R&D is “fragile”, given the current pressures on public finances, new polling has revealed.

Science advocacy group the Campaign for Science and Engineering warned that R&D is at risk of being seen as a luxury rather than a necessity after its new polling showed that over 60 per cent of people either agreed that “R&D doesn’t benefit people like them”, or felt neutral or unsure about R&D’s impact.