The effectiveness of science popularization in county directly determines the level of public scientific literacy within its scope. Based on interviews and surveys conducted nationwide and data obtained by web crawlers, this paper uses grounded theory to extract 11 factors that restrict the effectiveness of science popularization in county from three dimensions: macro, meso, and micro. On this basis, the ISM model is constructed to analyze the logical relationship and hierarchical structure among the various factors. The research results show that the external environment and institutional mechanisms are the root factors that restrict the effectiveness of science popularization work in counties. Among them, the policy environment and population environment are the deepest factors; personnel, venue, and channels of science popularization are the most direct factors which influenced by organization building and funding of science popularization. Based on the research conclusions, relevant suggestions to improve the effectiveness of science popularization in county are put forward.

The current situation of science popularization service in Chinese college and universities is lacking effective and applicable evaluation indexes. Based on the in-depth research of 25 universities in Jilin, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces of China, adopting Grounded Theory to conduct three-level coding for the survey interview content, the classification and theoretical model of the evaluation indicators are gradually established after the analysis and comparison of the co-word network. Then the three-level evaluation indicators are produced. The aim is to make a preliminary step in the evaluation research on the nationwide science popularization service in colleges and universities with the pilot demonstration, theoretical model, index system and operational tools.

Based on the DIIS framework and the theory of communication effect, this paper proposed a theoretical model of the effect path of science communication on the cognition (reputation, association, perceived quality, trust)- attitude (satisfaction)- behavior (loyalty) of college students on scientific research institutions. Taking Chinese Academy of Sciences as an example, a questionnaire survey was adopted to collect data and a structural equation model was established to verify the theoretical model. The results showed that science communication has significant positive effects on the behavior of college students through four effect paths. According to their effect, from strong to weak, they are “science communication, perceived quality, satisfaction, loyalty”, “science communication, trust, satisfaction, loyalty”, “science communication, association, loyalty”, “science communication, association, satisfaction, loyalty”.

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.