As the first popular science column of Liberation Daily, a newspaper of the central government in Yan’an period, Science Garden is a microcosm of science popularization work under the leadership of CPC. Through content analysis of Science Garden, this paper explores the positive effects of science popularization under the leadership of CPC during Yan’an period, including breaking feudal superstition, spreading scientific knowledge, disseminating science and technology, promoting the spirit of science, as well as supporting the anti-Japanese war and save the country. Furthermore, it summarizes some inspirations for the science popularization in the new era.

As an important way of science communication, science and education films have different stages in different social contexts. This research takes the title of science and education film as a cut-in point and divide them into four periods since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949: (1) the period of practical technology that started with the patriotic health movemen; (2) the period of standardized propaganda of practical technology; (3) the period of diversified science and education films to emancipate the mind, and (4) the period of progress from pragmatism to humanism. In these different periods, changes in the concept of science communication can be found.

The research on development stages of science communication is an important issue of science popularization studies in China. It not only helps to clarify the correlation between domestic and foreign concepts and research approaches, but also helps to sort out the historical context and development trend of science popularization in China. It is generally acknowledged that science communication studies go through three developmental stages: “Traditional Science Popularization”、“Public Understanding of Science” and “Science Communication”. However, this paper proposes that “Science Communication” should be replaced by “Public Reflection on Science”, and adding two new stages of “Public Engagement of Science” and “Public Science Service”. These five stages together constitute the whole “science communication”, and more accurately describe the development tendency from traditional “science popularization” to modern “science benefit to public”.

By phenomenography, three aspects of high school students’ understanding of scientists are obtained without presupposition, namely, their specific understanding of scientists themselves, their abstract understanding of the scientific spirit behind scientists and their understanding of scientists’ relationship with the country, society and human beings at the macro level. These three aspects can be divided into five levels: the appearance of scientists, the personal quality and ability of scientists, the work of scientists, the scientific spirit and the relationship between scientists and their country, society and human beings. Finally, this paper discussed the characteristics of the results, the similarities and differences between the results and the existing studies, the rationality and limitations of the results.

Both the new era of human development and China’s development have put forward new requirements for the civic scientific literacy, which endows the national scientific literacy action plan with a new mission. Based on an in-depth analysis of the important characteristics of the new era and the new requirements for the civic scientific literacy, this paper makes a systematic review of this concept from three aspects, including the content expansion, the structural adjustment, and the focus shift. The concept of the civic scientific literacy in the new era should be moderately expanded from “science” to “science and technology”. The literacy of science culture and innovative culture should be included in the concept dimensions of the civic scientific literacy. The focus of improving civic scientific literacy should be further shifted to the “ability” that reflects the characteristics and requirements of the new era. Further, this paper discusses new ideas and new measures for improving the assessment system and service system of civic scientific literacy, proposing that a new “benchmark system” should be established to meet the requirements of the new era. In addition, the continuous advancement of incentives and the corresponding evaluation methods should also be improved. More importantly, a multi-level and multi-type “target-path” linkage service system and action system should be established.

From the perspective of researchers, this paper described and analyzed the general situation and main findings of the survey of the 2020 national survey of civic scientific literacy, interpreted the development of civic scientific literacy levels in different regions and groups in China, and analyzed and compared the survey data of citizens’ access to scientific and technological information and participation in science popularization activities, citizens’ attitudes towards science and technology. This paper offered a full picture of survey results, which could provide basic data and decision-making reference for the evaluation of scientific literacy of citizens in the 13th Five Year Plan period and the researches in related fields.

Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Social Identity, this study explores the main factors affecting the willingness of community residents to participate in community science popularization activities. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 500 Shenzhen residents. This study established a model of influencing factors on residents’ willingness to participate in community science popularization activities, and carried out statistical tests on the hypothesis model. The results of the study found that the perceived value of scientific knowledge, the perceived functional and entertaining value of community science popularization activities, social norms and community identity can positively and significantly predict residents’ behavioral intentions for participating in community science popularization activities. This research injects new empirical materials into the science communication research in Chinese cities, and also provides practical suggestions for science popularization in urban communities.

Through establishing the meaning and the structure of the scientific spirit, and analyzing its relationship with scientific literacy and scientific ability, the paper incorporates the concept of the scientific spirit into the structure of scientific literacy to provide a theoretical reference for the transformation and upgrading of the measurement of civic scientific literacy. The deconstruction of the concept of the scientific spirit has also been made, it facilitates its measurement, and enables the formation of a new measurement of civic scientific literacy.

As a new form of industrial integration, science popularization game has broad prospects, but there are still many basic problems to be clarified. This paper analyzes the current status of domestic science popularization game from both enterprise and product aspects. Focusing on opportunities and challenges, this paper tries to put forward suggestions from the aspects of platform construction, industry development, talent reserve, content construction, marketing and profit model for its future development.

Based on the survey of Chinese civic scientific literacy from 2001 to 2020, this paper described the characteristics and trend of Chinese citizens’ attitudes towards science and technology. At this stage, Chinese citizens are optimistic, positive and rational towards science and technology, and professions in science and technology is highly respected and expected. Combined with the international comparison of citizens’ attitudes towards science and technology, this paper discusses the new demands of civic scientific literacy construction in China in the next 15 years from the perspective of attitude.