The result of the 3rd sample survey conducted by China Association For Science & Technology (CAST) among the Chinese public, soliciting their opinion about unknown phenomena and other related problems, was lately released in the China Hall of Science & Technology.
The result shows that compared with 1998, the proportion of those who believe in fortune-telling falls by nice percentage points, though it still accounts for over 25 percent; the proportion of those who think that "practice geomancy" is reasonable drops from 51.2 percent to 38.6 percent; the proportion of those who believe in super-functions shrinks from 29 percent to 20.4 percent, and the proportion of those who have faith in samsara sinks from 17.7 percent to 11.5 percent.
The survey was carried out nationwide among grownups aged 18-69 from July to December last year, whose result was announced at the 10th symposium of CAST forum on "safeguarding scientific sanctity, breaking down ignorant superstition and opposing pseudo-science". Centering around the subject of "making unremitting efforts to do away with superstition", experts present at the symposium held that the above-mentioned data not only helped people see the achievements China gained in eradicating ignorance and superstition and opposing pseudo-science, but also showed the existence of the deep-rooted feudal superstitious ideology in China, such being the case, eradicating superstition and opposing pseudo-science will be an arduous and complicated historical process.
Fang Zhouzi, an expert in science popularization, pointed out that the anti-scientific trend of thought prevalent in the intellectual circle, the lack of atheistic education in the educational circle as well as the absence of self-discipline in freedom of the press would encourage the development of superstition. Gong Yuzhi stressed the need to prudently approach superstition propaganda in literary and artistic works. He held that writers had the right of thinking freedom, but they shall be responsible for the public. "It is his personal affair whether he believes in spirits or not. But propagating such kind of idea in publications is not a private matter and should therefore be censured", Said Gong Yuzhi.
Besides, experts called for continued, widespread and in-depth publicity on science and atheism with emphasis put on Party cadres, youngsters and the rural people. Media institutions at all levels shall stick to the correct guidance of public opinion, thereby purifying the social environment. While the work on science popularization is intensified, attention should be paid to the public's psychological health, and a relevant service system should be established and perfected.
(People's Daily September 26, 2003)
