ABSTRACT
In this chapter I argue the case for the establishment of a cultural indicator of popular science. To use an analogy, a cultural indicator is a measure of the scientific “climate.” The description of the climate rather than the daily weather requires a long-term commitment to measurement. Furthermore, such an indicator needs to be based (a) on surveys of public understanding of science, to gauge reception, and (b) on the systematic analysis of intensity and the contents of the media coverage of science, henceforth called media science, to gauge the circulation of images of science, within the same contexts.
