Scientific literacy on the rise

China making inroads, but still lags West

The Chinese population is becoming more scientifically literate, with more people from less developed regions able to understand and use science to solve issues in life and at work, officials said on Tuesday.

About 8.5 percent of China's population is now considered scientifically literate, a 2.3 percentage point increase in the last three years, according to the 10th national survey on scientific literacy by the China Research Institute of Science Popularization.