Based on the thinking and experience of the research and preparation of Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035), this article comprehensively interprets this roadmap for the construction of Chinese citizens’ scientific literacy in the next 15 years, analyzes the background and significance of its formulation, and proposes the focus of “core competence” in order to improve the scientific literacy of different groups of people. This article also expresses the content and characteristics of the five key groups’ scientific literacy improvement action, five key projects, and the organization’s implementation. Suggestions are made on how to implement them, with a view to better implementing Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035).

According to the current development status of China and the goal of initially building an innovative country in 2035, Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) puts forward and systematically lays out a core proposition: “public scientific literacy is the foundation for the progress of social civilization”. This proposition include: (1) “The foundation for the progress of social civilization” is a new starting point and new direction for the building of national scientific literacy; (2) “Science and technology must meet the people’s growing needs for a better life” is the basic starting point for the construction of public scientific literacy; (3) more balanced and more adequate is the basic spirit for the construction of public scientific literacy; and (4) starts an overall construction of scientific literacy with the Chinese people as a demonstration to the globe.

Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) gives different priority in orders to scientific spirit, scientific thought, scientific method and scientific knowledge, and defines the new connotation of scientific literacy by expressing citizens’ basic scientific ability as analysis and judgment ability and problem-solving ability. According to the new plan, more than 15 percent of the population will have scientific literacy in five years and 25 percent in 15 years. In order to achieve this goal, the new plan adds the elderly as the key group, adjusts the scope of the two key groups, modifies the content of the scientific quality to improve of the two key groups, and puts forward five measures to provide the supply efficiency of science popularization. The new plan is feasible, but there are still challenges of assessment the effectiveness of its implementation.

Recently, Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) has been issued. By analyzing the text of Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035), this paper finds out many new insights and solutions in the basic principles, goals, tasks, measures and policies regarding promoting public scientific literacy in China, while inheriting a lot from its predecessor and practical experiences in the past 15 years. It is stipulated that promoting public scientific literacy should take on a grand mission for the national economic and social development as well as global governance; it emphasizes the leadership for spirit and value at its top level design; it is more group-specific, has clearer tasks, and more precise measures in its promoting actions; it strengthens the foundation to transform scientific resources into popular scientific resources, and pays equal attention to normal and risk science communication in the infrastructure for public scientific literacy; it focuses on improvement of management mechanism, evaluation criteria and effectiveness.

The construction of scientific literacy in the era of innovation requires a full understanding of the value and role of science popularization and scientific literacy on the development of science and technology and innovation; requires a greatly strengthen of the construction of function for science popularization and scientific literacy to service innovation development; and also requires to promote the construction of scientific literacy to enter a new stage of development and achieve high-quality development. Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) puts General Secretary Xi Jinping’s statement “Put the popularization of science at the same important position as science and technology innovation” as the fundamental basis for the high-quality development of scientific literacy, emphasizing the construction of institution and mechanism for “science popularization of and science and technology innovation are equally important”. This will provide a powerful impetus and an important opportunity for China’s construction of scientific literacy to achieve high-quality development.

Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) is an action guide for China to develop citizens’ scientific literacy in the next 15 years. The document (1) analyzes the achievements and problems, as well as predicts the situations of scientific literacy construction; (2) makes overall planning and design of the guiding concept, goals and principles; (3) plans and layouts the key tasks in the 14th Five-Year Plan period; and (4) arrangements have been made for guarantees such as organization, mechanism and conditions. The opening paragraph of the document, the first part “Preface”, the second part “Guiding Concept, Principles and Goals” are the core contents. Each sentence and each paragraph of those 3 parts has a large amount of preliminary research to support and in-depth thinking based on problem-oriented, goal-oriented, and effect-oriented.

Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) puts forward the goals of Chinese public scientific literacy in 2025 and 2035. This paper interprets and analyzes in aspects as the development status and structural characteristics of Chinese public scientific literacy, the main situation and requirements in the new era, the domestic and global trend of public scientific literacy development, and the main foundation of the establishment of public scientific literacy goals. This paper further states the significance of these goals for accelerating the construction of a global science and technology power, realizing people’s all-round development, serving the modernization of national governance system and governance ability, and serving the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Adolescents are the reserve talents of national scientific and technological innovation. Improving the adolescents’ scientific literacy is necessary for realizing the high-quality development of the country. In the past 15 years, China has made great progress in creating an environment and providing resources for the development of adolescents’ scientific literacy, and Chinese adolescents have also achieved good results in international assessments. However, there are still some problems, such as low willingness of young people to engage in scientist career, insufficient attention to science education in schools, and insufficient connection between school and outside. To address these outstanding problems, the goal and corresponding measures of develop a large group of adolescents with scientist potential have been formulated. The promotion of scientist spirit should be the primary task, while giving full play to the role of formal school education as the main channel, actively exploring innovative talents’ training model, and laying a solid talent foundation for building national strength in science and technology.

The Action to Improve Scientific Literacy of Rural Residents concentrates on improving the sci-tech and cultural qualities of rural residents, promoting the transformation of social traditions in rural areas and renewing the spirit of the peasants. The rural science popularization system needs to be further improved to merge into the development of agriculture, culture construction, social governance and promoting the development of ecological civilization, in order to promote rural revitalization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

The development of China’s industrial division leads to the difference between the concept of industrial workers in the new era and the traditional meaning. The CPC and the government have high concern about the improvement of the quality of workers. The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial reform put forward new requirements for the scientific literacy of industrial workers. In view of the significant problems existing in the improvement of industrial workers’ quality, the objectives, tasks and corresponding measures have been established in the new action. It is focused on strengthening value guidance skill quality cultivation, and taking a number of measures to promote the improvement of vocational skills and innovation ability, so as to serve the needs of people’s all-round development and the construction of a powerful country in respect of manufacture and quality and modern economic system.

There are new characteristics in population age structure and population aging has entered a new stage in China. It is necessary to improve scientific literacy of the elderly to remedy the weakness of national scientific literacy. There are still problems in the construction of scientific literacy of the elderly, like the low level of scientific literacy of the elderly, insufficient supply of popular science resources for the elderly, and inadequate utilization of elderly human resources. Facing 2035, science popularization for the elderly should focus on improving information literacy and health literacy to adapt to social development, realizing the inclusive sharing of science popularization resources, and building new momentum of elderly science and technology human resources, so as to promote the general improvement of the citizen’s scientific literacy and serve the all-round development of people.

By summarizing the new challenges and existing problems in scientific literacy construction of leading cadres and civil servants, this paper points out the focuses of scientific literacy improvement of leading cadres and civil servants in the new era: strengthening the value guidance of scientific literacy construction, improving the ability of scientific governance, adhering to the evaluation-oriented implementation, and efficiently serving the development of party and country causes.

In the new development setup, modern science and technology museum system with Chinese characteristics should serve more effectively the all-round development of human being, leading the proper values, national development and social progress. The System should make reform and innovation in merging sci-tech and culture, infrastructure construction, content construction, operation mechanism and mode, building itself into the core bastion to support high-quality science popularization service system, making new contributions to the improvement of people’s scientific and cultural quality and the construction of innovation-oriented country.

The development of science popularization calls for high-quality science popularization talents, the cultivation of which is an important way to improve this task force. Based on diagnosis of problems in this cultivation, this paper points out that lack of an academic degree of science popularization consititutes a serious restriction. The paper states that establishing such an academic degree is important for the implementation of Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035), and makes specific suggestions on the establishment of an academic degree in science popularization.

The international exchange and cooperation project of scientific literacy is a new measure in national scientific literacy construction during the 14th Five-Year period. Its establishment conforms to UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and China’s overall diplomatic situation of “promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind” and strengthening international cooperation. It is of both domestic and international significance. The implementation paths of this project are expanding international scientific and technological exchange channels, enriching international cooperation contents, actively participating in global governance and promoting “one belt and one road” technology exchange.

Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021–2035) strengthens the standardization of science popularization service as one of the guarantee conditions. By analyzing the current situation and existing problems of standardization of science popularization service, and according to the current situation and development requirements of improvement of national scientific literacy and science popularization work, the development strategies of standardization of science popularization service are put forward: doing a good job in the planning and overall coordination of standardization work during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period; building a multi-dimensional standardization system of national standards, industry standards, local standards, group standards, and corporate standards; formulating standards of science popularization product and services by classification; strengthening the publicity and implementation effect evaluation of standards; mobilizing social forces to participate in standardization work.