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Publication - Research and analysis

Ocean literacy survey: headline findings

Published
18 November 2022
Directorate
Marine Directorate
Part of
Environment and climate change, Marine and fisheries
ISBN
9781805250661

Headline findings from an online survey with the public in Scotland on the topic of ocean literacy - exploring the public's understanding of the marine environment. It is part of a wider project covering England and Wales.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Principles of Ocean Literacy

Although there are questions regarding an agreed definition of Ocean Literacy, seven principles related to people's understanding of the impact on the ocean and the ocean's impact on them have underpinned Ocean Literacy initiatives in recent years. Survey respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they believed these principles were true (Figure 2).

The vast majority believed that the principles were true to some degree, ranging from 97% who said that "The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems" was true to 88% who said that "The ocean made the Earth habitable" was true. While still a majority, respondents were least likely to believe that "The Earth has one big ocean with many features" was true (73%).

Figure 2: Extent to which Ocean Literacy principles are perceived to be true (weighted %)
a bar chart that summarises the extent to which respondents think that a list of six Ocean Literacy principles are true as reported in the previous two paragraphs.

Q3. The following are principles about the marine environment. Please indicate how true you believe each statement to be.

Unweighted base: 3,055

Table 1: Extent to which Ocean Literacy principles are perceived to be true (weighted %)
Principle Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Slightly True Not at all True Don't know Summary: True (to some level)
The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems 79% 12% 5% 2% 1% 2% 97%
The ocean is largely unexplored 48% 29% 14% 4% 2% 2% 96%
The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate 58% 24% 11% 2% 1% 4% 95%
The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth 48% 29% 14% 3% 1% 5% 94%
The ocean and humans are inextricably linked 51% 25% 14% 4% 1% 5% 94%
The ocean made the Earth habitable 49% 24% 13% 3% 1% 11% 88%
The Earth has one big ocean with many features 28% 20% 17% 8% 16% 11% 73%

Dimensions

  • Personal or emotional connection
  • Attitudes
  • Knowledge
  • Awareness

Contact

Email: socialresearch@gov.scot

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