Channels for acquiring sci-tech knowledge are put in order as follows: TV, Newspaper, Conversation, Broadcasting, Books and Internet.

According to the data published by the authorities on Tuesday the rate of the public in sci-tech attainment has been raised from 0.2 percent in 1996 to this year's 1.2 percent, five times as against that five years ago. As experts point out the statistic data indicate that the implementation of the policy of rejuvenating the country by science and education has greatly pushed forward the popularization of science and technology and helped the enhancement of sci-tech accomplishment of the citizens in the whole country

Approved by the State Statistics Bureau, the investigation of the public on sci-tech attainment organized by the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in the whole country was started from last May. With the efforts of thousands of investigators and traveling a distance of over 280,000 kilometers they have succeeded in retrieving 8350 copies of questionnaire, being the fourth survey of a nationwide scale following the previous three in 1992, 1994 and 1996.

The result also shows that there exists among the public a great difference in sci-tech attainments as they differ in sexes, occupations and years of formal schooling, age groups and areas of distribution. Students take up the highest rate, accounting for 11.42 percent. Next come the professionals and technicians, occupying 6.29 percent and it sees the lowest among the peasantry, only up to 0.04 percent. Take the citizens in China as a whole the masculine amount to 1.7 percent while the feminine only up to 0.98 percent. In the eyes of the public scientific researchers enjoy the highest reputation and followed by doctors. However, doctors get higher scores than researchers among the parents when dealing with the choice of occupation for children.

The investigation has also indicated that the mass media serve as a main channel for the public to get sci-tech information, and a key factor that influences them in acquiring the sci-tech attainment. The channels for the public to obtain sci-tech information are specified as follows: TV taking up 82.8 percent, newspaper occupying 52.2 percent, and conversation 20.2 percent and followed up by broadcasting of 10.9 percent and books 5.2 percent and last comes the Internet, accounting for 1.6 percent only.