Ocean literacy survey: headline findings
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.
Knowledge of marine terms
Climate change (92%) and sustainable fishing (82%) were the terms most commonly known and understood (to at least some degree) (Figure 4).
Other familiar terms were Marine Protected Areas (69%), biodiversity (67%), sustainable development (66%) and Marine Conservation Zones (65%).
In contrast three quarters said they had never heard of eutrophication (77%). Other terms which the majority had never heard of were the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science (66%), blue carbon (60%), natural capital (57%), marine citizenship (55%), Ocean Literacy (55%) and carbon sequestration (54%).
Q7: Please indicate how familiar you are with each of these terms by selecting the relevant box.
Unweighted base: 3,055
| Marine Term | Know and understand | Heard of and have some understanding | Heard of but do not understand | Have never heard of the term | Summary: % know or heard of and have some understanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change | 48% | 44% | 5% | 2% | 92% |
| Sustainable fishing | 32% | 50% | 14% | 4% | 82% |
| Biodiversity | 26% | 41% | 22% | 9% | 67% |
| Sustainable development | 20% | 46% | 22% | 10% | 66% |
| Marine Protected Areas | 21% | 48% | 19% | 11% | 69% |
| Marine Conservation Zones | 18% | 47% | 21% | 13% | 65% |
| Good Environmental Status | 13% | 39% | 23% | 24% | 52% |
| Nature based solutions | 9% | 35% | 28% | 26% | 44% |
| Ecosystem services | 9% | 31% | 30% | 28% | 40% |
| Ocean acidification | 8% | 23% | 23% | 45% | 31% |
| Ocean literacy | 3% | 16% | 24% | 55% | 19% |
| Carbon sequestration | 5% | 15% | 25% | 54% | 20% |
| Marine citizenship | 4% | 14% | 25% | 55% | 18% |
| Natural capital | 4% | 14% | 22% | 57% | 18% |
| Blue carbon | 3% | 12% | 23% | 60% | 15% |
| United Nations Decade of Ocean Science | 3% | 12% | 18% | 66% | 15% |
| Eutrophication | 3% | 6% | 12% | 77% | 9% |
Dimensions
- Knowledge
- Awareness
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot
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