How many people would like to take part in research, who they are and how to reach them. Data from the INFODEMIJA project's representative survey of Lithuanian residents (2024, N = 1,005).
The question: "Would you like to participate in scientific research?" Only 3.3% answered with full certainty (5 out of 5).
Each square is 1% of respondents (n = 930), rounded to whole numbers.
Percentages of respondents in each segment. Willingness to take part is one of the indicators used to build the segments, so part of the difference comes from the segmentation itself. Segment profiles: infodemija.lt (in Lithuanian).
| Segment | Would like to take part | Neither yes nor no | Would not | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science enthusiasts | 44.9% | 22.8% | 32.3% | 285 |
| Moderate supporters | 3.3% | 23.8% | 72.9% | 269 |
| Quiet trusters | 14.4% | 20.5% | 65.1% | 215 |
| Distant from science | 2.5% | 2.5% | 95.0% | 161 |
| All residents | 18.5% | 19.0% | 62.5% | 930 |
Science enthusiasts make up 30.2% of the population but 74.4% of those who would like to take part. The undecided are more mixed: almost two thirds of them are moderate supporters and quiet trusters.
| Segment | Share of population | Share of those who would like to take part | Share of the undecided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science enthusiasts | 30.2% | 74.4% | 36.7% |
| Moderate supporters | 29.9% | 5.2% | 36.2% |
| Quiet trusters | 23.4% | 18.0% | 24.9% |
| Distant from science | 16.5% | 2.3% | 2.3% |
| Total, people | 1,005 | 172 | 177 |
Compared with all residents. Here the groups are based only on the answer about taking part, without the segments.
Who they are
Often learn about science through
| Would like to take partn = 172 | Neither yes nor non = 177 | All residentsN = 1,005 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who they are | |||
| Aged 18-34 | 43.6% | 28.8% | 21.9% |
| Aged 55 or over | 30.8% | 34.5% | 45.5% |
| University degree | 29.1% | 16.9% | 15.7% |
| Live in the five largest cities | 59.9% | 41.8% | 41.3% |
| Live in places of up to 10,000 people | 26.7% | 37.3% | 41.9% |
| Often volunteer or help others | 37.2% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
| Attend science events at least rarely | 63.9% | 48.9% | 35.7% |
| Often learn about science through | |||
| YouTube and other video platforms | 41.4% | 25.4% | 25.4% |
| Social media | 38.9% | 22.5% | 23.7% |
| Educational TV channels | 37.1% | 20.7% | 22.4% |
| News portals | 36.7% | 22.7% | 24.8% |
| Wikipedia | 33.5% | 12.6% | 19.0% |
| LRT public television | 32.6% | 20.7% | 27.0% |
| Scientific journals | 31.6% | 10.2% | 13.3% |
| Commercial TV channels | 21.6% | 19.3% | 25.8% |
| Government, education and healthcare websites | 20.8% | 15.1% | 12.2% |
| Radio | 14.3% | 16.8% | 19.5% |
30.2% of the population
Often learn about science through
The easiest to reach: the youngest, more often living in the largest cities, and 39.3% volunteer often. If you need a more diverse group, ask them to invite others: they talk about science with friends more than twice as often as all residents (24.0% against 9.2%).
29.9% of the population
Often learn about science through
They hardly want to take part, but almost a quarter are undecided. A "join our research" call is unlikely to appeal to them. It is worth trying short tasks on a phone and showing what the collected data were used for.
23.4% of the population
Often learn about science through
They trust science but rarely come into contact with it. 62.1% are aged 55 or over, and half live in places of up to 10,000 people. You will hardly reach them online. INFODEMIJA focus group participants named librarians, teachers, family doctors and community leaders as intermediaries.
16.5% of the population
Often learn about science through
95.0% would not take part. Their scepticism is aimed at institutions, so an invitation to "scientific research" is unlikely to work. Talk about a local problem that matters to them and invite them through local partners.
That is the share of residents who would like to take part in research, and 3.3% say so with full certainty. Plan recruitment as a separate task, with its own time and budget.
That is the share of those willing who are science enthusiasts. If a diverse group of participants matters to you, plan for it from the start.
Almost half of them attend science events at least rarely, and 70.1% volunteer at least rarely. Invite them where they already are.
That is the share of those willing who live in places of up to 10,000 people, while 41.9% of all residents live there. To reach older people and smaller places, use LRT and local intermediaries.
Representative survey of Lithuanian residents aged 18 and over, carried out in 2024 by face-to-face interviews within the INFODEMIJA project, N = 1,005. The project (2023-2026) was carried out by Mykolas Romeris University and funded by the Research Council of Lithuania.
The question "Would you like to participate in scientific research?" was answered on a scale from 1 to 5. "Would like to take part" means 4 or 5, "neither yes nor no" means 3, "would not" means 1 or 2. 75 respondents answered "don't know" or did not answer and are excluded (n = 930). "Don't know" answers are also excluded from the channel and activity figures. Percentages are unweighted and may not add up to exactly 100 because of rounding.
The segments are the INFODEMIJA audience segmentation. Its first stage used seven indicators of engagement with science, including willingness to take part in research.
All segment profiles: infodemija.lt (in Lithuanian). Dataset: Zenodo, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21134838 (CC BY 4.0).