Innovation Fall 2024

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Public opinion survey BC residents weigh in on the professions and organization

In the public opinion survey conducted in May, 865 BC residents weighed in on

questions about the engineering and geoscience professions as well as Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The survey measured public perceptions, knowledge about the professions and Engineers and Geoscientists BC, and their level of trust in the professions and the organization. The public survey, which will be conducted annually going forward, was last produced for Engineers and Awareness and understanding of the professions held fairly steady from previous results. For engineering, 68 percent indicated they were very or somewhat familiar with the role of an engineer; in identifying specific roles, the top responses mentioned creating, designing and developing, calculating safety norms, adhering to codes, and the design of structures. Respondents also acknowledged that work varies depending on the type of engineering, reflecting a diversity in their views of the profession. For geoscience, 31 percent said they knew what geoscientists did, which was an increase of four percent from the previous survey. Most respondents cited geology and the study of the earth as specific roles for geoscientists; other top mentions included studying rock and soil samples, evaluating ground stability for safety purposes, and evaluating risk of land use. Geoscientists BC in 2021. Understanding the professions

Compared to other regulated professions, those surveyed were more familiar with the roles of doctors (90 percent), accountants (88 percent) and lawyers (83 per cent) – possibly a reflection of the more direct relationship a member of the public may have with these professions, compared to engineering or geoscience. When it comes to trust in the professions, 90 percent said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust in engineers, up from 85 percent three years ago. For geoscientists, 60 percent responded they had a great deal or fair amount of trust, an increase from 55 percent in the previous survey; survey data indicated the relatively lower trust ratings for geoscience are driven by lower awareness of the profession in general, rather than concerns with the profession. Understanding Engineers and Geoscientists BC While public awareness of Engineers and Geoscientists BC is up two percent, it still remains low, at 24 percent, reflecting an overall lower

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Fall 2024

Innovation