The article analyzes the variables that better explain the perceptions and attitudes of Europeans regarding science and their more recent scientific innovations. The cognitive deficit hypothesis proposes that social ambivalence arises because people have little scientific knowledge and misunderstands scientific and technical advances. The article agrees with the analytic role of contextual perspective, identifies ten myths linked to the traditional explanation of social perception of science, and proposes an alternative interpretation of the relationship between knowledge, institutional dynamics, and social trust.
