Petition fever not helping science

Signing a petition feels good—but Italian researchers need more than just numbers and goodwill to get through to their government, says Fabio Turone.

Every now and then, a petition “for science” starts making the rounds on Italian social media, with the goal of mobilising the “online masses”. While some may indeed feel mobilised, to others such efforts simply highlight feelings of total impotence. After all, petitions are a last resort in the absence of more effective ways to make the voice of scientists heard by policymakers.

Some petitions go big. After well-known physicist Giorgio Parisi—who would later be named president of the Accademia dei Lincei in recognition of his outstanding career—collected more than 150,000 signatures early in 2018 for his plea “to save scientific research”, others liked the idea and launched similar appeals.