Knowledge, Science, Democracy: What is the role of evidence in policy and society?

The EU’s population has never been better educated. The Europe 2020 strategy set a target that by 2020 40% of young Europeans have a higher education qualification. Science and technology have a profound influence on our daily lives. Bridging the gap between science and policy is essential in ensuring good policy-making that is evidence-based. Yet, society remains polarised between students from the 'Fridays for Future' campaign urging politicians to “follow the science”, climate change denial, anti-vaccine campaigns, fake news, and the ‘people are tired of experts’ narrative. This has led to a wave of public commentary and reflection on the role of experts and expertise in democracies.