BEIJING — A report on China’s science popularization capacity from 2006 to 2016 was released on June 15.

Issued by China Research Institute for Science Popularization and Social Sciences Academic Press, the report marks the first time China has released a blue book on the development of its science popularization capacity.

According to Xu Yanhao, vice-president of the China Association for Science and Technology, a country’s science popularization capacity refers to its general capability to provide the public with products and services that popularize science.

The capacity includes scientific works, channels to spread sci-tech knowledge, scientific education among others, Xu continued.

Based on a great amount of statistics and cases, the report features analysis and research on the status, momentum, and characteristics of China’s science popularization capacity.

It shows that a higher science popularization capacity significantly improves the public’s scientific literacy.

Analyzing and assessing the country’s science popularization capacity is crucial to pushing forward supply-side structural reform in science popularization, as well as the innovative development on both theoretical and practical levels, Xu noted.