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Almost one in three Spaniards believe that extraterrestrials have visited our planet at some point and that the stars influence our daily lives. Slightly fewer, almost one in four, believe in communication with spirits, and 17 per cent are convinced that humans have never set foot on the moon. At the same time, the vast majority have full confidence in vaccines, attribute global warming to human activity, and in case of serious illness would unhesitatingly go to hospital rather than resort to alternative remedies such as homeopathy.
These are some of the main conclusions of the BBVA Foundation study on science-based beliefs and alternative beliefs and practices, which addresses the popularity in Spanish society of 'scientific populism', the theories promoted by leaders such as Donald Trump or Javier Milei that put what they call common sense ahead of specialist knowledge. In general, it can be said that Spanish society trusts science.
The majority of the 2,013 respondents consider science to be the most objective, reliable knowledge with the greatest capacity to separate what is true from what is false. Overall, two out of three respondents believe that the vast majority of important things can be explained by science now or will be explained by science in the future. Scientists, doctors and technology experts are also the most highly rated - more than eight out of ten - as opposed to astrologers, homeopaths and priests.
This confidence translates into practice on issues such as medicine and climate change. Ninety-nine per cent would go to a hospital or outpatient clinic in the event of a serious illness and as many as 81 per cent of respondents have a "great deal or a fair amount" of confidence in vaccines, one of the most common targets of denialists, especially since the Covid pandemic.
With regard to global warming, 67 per cent believe with scientific certainty that it is caused by human activity. Of the remainder, 18% attribute it to a natural process on the planet and 15% explain it for both reasons. As for the origin of human beings, around 70% believe in the evolutionary explanation and roughly 30% believe that the universe was created by God or a supreme spiritual being.
But within this overall picture of confidence in the work of science, there are some interesting ideas when it comes to conspiracy theories. One third of respondents are convinced, as mentioned above, that extraterrestrials have visited Earth - by contrast, almost two in ten reject that Neil Armstrong or any other human being has set foot on the moon - and in the influence of planets and the stars on our daily lives. Twenty-four per cent believe in communication with spirits, 18 per cent in magic and 14 per cent in witches. 13% rely on healers to treat serious ailments, six per cent believe in horoscopes, five per cent avoid the number 13 because it attracts bad luck and four per cent believe that Earth is flat.
In terms of alternative health treatments, thirty-one per cent have resorted, at least occasionally, to homeopathy, reflexology (foot and hand massage), reiki (a therapy that claims to reduce stress by laying on of hands) and ayurveda (alternative medicine from India). Most have done so as a complement to conventional medical treatments or to prevent and maintain health, with only a marginal percentage using them as substitutes for medical treatment. 34% believe that homeopathy should be financed by Spain's Social Security system and in particular women, particularly between the ages of 45 and 64, think it should be. They also trust the benefits of meditation more than men. Yoga is considered to be more effective than antidepressants for general well-being.
This small group of sceptics responds to a well-defined profile. Their believers are usually over 65 years old, have a basic education, are religious and are either on the extreme right or refuse to define themselves in ideological terms.
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