The meaning of `public understanding of science' in the United States after World War II

Abstract

In the United States after World War II, the term `public understanding of science' became equated with `public appreciation of the benefits that science provides to society'. This equation was the result of the independent, but parallel, social and institutional needs of four different groups with an interest in popularizing science: commercial publishers, scientific societies, science journalists, and government agencies. A new, more critical era of popular science began in the 1960s.