The Evolution of ‘Public Understanding of Science’: Public Engagement as a Tool of Science Policy in the UK

Abstract This historical review surveys the evolution of the science–society relationship in post‐war Britain. It observes the transformation since the 1980s of the idea of ‘public understanding of science’, in which scientists and laypeople differ by virtue of the scientific knowledge they have, into the idea of ‘public engagement which science’, in which scientists, laypeople and policy makers negotiate policy for future science and technology. We survey recent critiques of public engagement which draw attention to the ways in which it constructs particular publics, and which question its capacity to contribute to policy‐making.