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Poster Short Abstract

With the aim to explore perception of citizen science among Italian young adults, an online survey was launched to investigate familiarity with CS, field of interest, but also barriers to participation and training needs.

Poster Abstract

In 2024, the Italian Citizen Science Association activated an internal working group dedicated to the promotion of citizen science among young adults (18-35 age group). Together with gender, income and level of education, age is another factor affecting participation in citizen science with lower levels among younger age groups compared to middle-age and older people. With the aim to explore the perception of citizen science among Italian young adults, between 2024 and 2025, the Citizen Science Giovani working group launched a survey specifically addressed to people between 18-35 years old coming from as diverse an audience as possible. The questionnaire investigated multiple dimensions: personal information (e.g., level of education, job position), general knowledge of CS, ability to recognize correct definitions and real-world examples, prior experiences in CS initiatives and perception of benefits it can contribute to. In the second part, questions were customized according to few possible profiles: young researchers, association members or general citizens, allowing to highlight different needs to improve projects accessibility and attractiveness, but also barriers to participation or mean of communication preferred (e.g., video, podcast). In the final section, availability in taking part in new projects, type of activity to be involved in and field or subjects of interest were also inquired. Despite the limitations in terms of representativeness always linked to online distribution of surveys, our results provided a first insight into perception of citizen science among young adults and a valuable orientation for shaping a more inclusive and youth-oriented CS strategy at national level.