Public opinion on future innovations, science and technology : national report : Slovakia.
Date: 2015-07-01
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Subjects: Slovakia, health care, housing, impact of information technology, innovation, new technology, public opinion, quality of life, sample survey, technology

Eurobarometer Qualitative Study 

PUBLIC OPINION ON FUTURE 
INNOVATIONS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

National Report 

June 2015 
Slovakia 

This study has been requested by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and 
Innovation and co-ordinated by Directorate-General for Communication. 

Qualitative study – TNS Qual+ 

 
              
 
                                               
                                                 
                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Project title 

Eurobarometer Qualitative 
study - “Public opinion on 
future innovations, science 
and technology” - National 
Report Slovakia 

Linguistic Version 

EN 

Catalogue Number  KI-02-15-348-EN-N 

ISBN 

DOI 

978-92-79-48070-6 

10.2777/315755 

© European Union, 2015 

 
               
                                               
                                                 
                                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eurobarometer Qualitative Studies 

Journalists and social media 

Aggregate report 

January 2012 

Eurobarometer Qualitative Study 

Public opinion on future innovations, 
science and technology: results of focus 
groups in selected Member States 

National Report 

Slovakia 

Conducted by TNS Qual+ at the request of  
the European Commission, 
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation 

Survey co-ordinated by the European Commission, 
Directorate-General for Communication 
(DG COMM “Strategy, Corporate Communication Actions 
and Eurobarometer” Unit) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Qualitative Study 

Qualitative Study 

European 

European 

Commission 

Commission  

Local Government and the 

governance of the Single 

Market  

NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                        “Innovations, science and technology” 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

A.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................ 2 

B.  OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY ...................................................... 6 

Objectives ............................................................................................ 6 
Methodology and sampling ..................................................................... 6 
Participant profile .................................................................................. 6 
National context .................................................................................... 6 

I.  GENERAL PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL 

INNOVATIONS .................................................................................... 7 

1.1  General associations linked to the notion of scientific innovation .......... 7 
1.2  The most important scientific and technological innovations observed 
over recent years ..................................................................................... 8 

II.  SPONTANEOUS PROJECTIONS ON TOMORROWS SCIENTIFIC AND 

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ...................................................... 11 

2.1  The scientific innovations expected to be part of peoples’ daily life in 

2030 and their possible impact ................................................................ 11 
2.2  Expected innovations in selected areas ........................................... 12 

III. REACTIONS TO FUTURE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL 

INNOVATIONS IN SELECTED AREAS ................................................. 14 

3.1  Homes and living ......................................................................... 14 
3.2  Health and healthcare .................................................................. 18 
3.3  Ubiquitous communication and interaction ...................................... 22 
3.4  Environment ............................................................................... 25 
IV.  CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 29 

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NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                       “Innovations, science and technology” 

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

General  perceptions  about  scientific  and 
innovations 

technological 

When  referring  to  scientific  and  technological  innovations,  the  participants 
spontaneously mentioned a range of positive connotations: convenience, 
development, speed of changes and information, and accessibility. 

Negative connotations linked to scientific and technological innovation included: 
alienation  due  to  having  less  personal  contact,  health  threats  due  to  laziness 
and stress; loss of privacy due to monitoring and manipulating people. 

The participants agreed that innovations bring both positives and negatives. It 
is up to the individual in the end how to handle such innovations. 

An  age  gap  was  evident  in  the  discussions,  with  a  differentiation  between  those 
younger  participants  who  could  easily  accept  the  changes  brought  about  by 
innovations  and  older  participants  who  have  to  push  themselves  to  accept 
them. 

The  most  important  scientific  and  technological  innovations  over  the  last 
fifteen  years  were  felt  to  be  the  Internet,  cell  phones/  smartphones, 
notebooks  and  tablets,  innovations  in  the  medical  field,  TV,  and 
household appliances. 

  The  Internet  and  smartphones  have  had  the  biggest  impact  on  the 
society  according  to  participants  and  were  viewed  to  be  widespread 
amongst  the  population  irrespective  of  age,  education,  or  social 
background. 

Spontaneous  expectations  of  scientific  and  technological 
innovations 

The innovations  which were expected to be part of  daily  life  by  2030, related 
to four main areas: 

  Transportation:  using  electricity  as  the  predominant 

fuel, 

fully 

automatic transportation, regulated transportation; 

  Chips:  storage  of  personal  information  concerning  identification  and 

medical data, means of monitoring health conditions; 

  Communication: virtual, closer to reality through the use of holographic 

projecting and involving more of the olfactory senses; 

  Automation: household appliances functioning automatically; 
  Medicine  (mentioned  mainly  by  groups  1,  3  and  4)  and  energy 
(mentioned mainly by groups 5 and 6) are the areas of innovation which 
spontaneously were least likely to have any negative connotations. 
o  Medicine:  better  quality  of  medical  instruments,  machinery,  and 

procedures, less invasive and painless treatments. 

o  Energy: using alternative and renewable resources – water, air, and 

sunlight. 

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Expected innovations in selected areas: 

  Homes  and  living:  producing  less  waste,  better  recycling,  ecological 

building materials, electronically managed; 

  Health  and  healthcare:  better  quality  of  medical  machinery  and 
instruments,  electronic  communication  between  patients  and  doctors, 
health monitoring chips; 

  Ubiquitous communication and interaction: holographic projection, greater 

sensual perception; 

  Environment: (see innovations in homes and living and transportation). 

Reactions to future scientific and technological innovations in 
selected areas 

Homes and living 
The  “homes  and  living”  scenario  was  spontaneously  perceived  as  impersonal, 
cold, and dehumanised. 

  The  negative  assessment  was  mostly  due  to  Pra  which  is  thought  to  do 
and decide everything, and thus threaten indispensability, meaningfulness 
and human capability. Moreover, its look was felt to be unappealing. 

  The  participants  felt  threatened  by  the  idea  of  online  data  being 
stored  in  Pra’s  memory  and  worried  that  their  private  information  could 
be misused. 

  They  would  prefer  Pra  to  be  passive.  Passive  in  this  context  means  that 
Pra would not do anything by itself (e.g. waking up calls, ordering online, 
and managing cleaning). It would be appreciated as help in the household 
and  a  source  of  the  latest  information  –  Pra  doing  household  chores,  Pra 
controlling a smart fridge, Pra as a personal assistant. 

The  last  part  of  the  scenario  which  pertained  to  energy  efficient  homes  – 
coated glass, smart meters – was assessed positively. 

The scenario was seen to be realistic, especially the part about efficient homes. 
Most  felt  that  these  innovations  already  exist  today,  although  at  a  more  basic 
level of development. 

  The extensive house automation and robotisation was expected to be very 

expensive, and thus unavailable to ordinary people. 

Health and healthcare 
The  “health  and  healthcare”  scenario  was  spontaneously  evaluated  with  two 
main perspectives coming through: 

  Healthcare  was  perceived  positively  –  efficient,  useful,  practical  and 

simple. 

  Healthcare when connected with supermarkets was perceived negatively 
and  expressed  in  terms  of  business,  manipulation,  distrust.  The  main 
disliked  aspect  was  that  the  impulse  comes  from  a  supermarket.  It 
was not seen as acceptable that supermarkets should perform any “health 
oriented” activities: recommendations to have a test, to purchase a test in 
supermarkets  or  to  point  to  early  signs  of  a  disease  without  any 
justification. 

The  most  useful  aspects  of  this  scenario  were  those  which  were  seen  to 
strengthen  one’s  health  and  improve  knowledge  of  one’s  own  health 
conditions: early  diagnosis, biochip  monitoring, access to  one’s own health 
record, development of new medicines. 

  The monitoring aspect of the biochip was perceived to be beneficial. It was 

thought to be a non-invasive way to monitor health conditions. 

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  However,  the  participants  were  not  sure  about,  for  example,  taking  a 
blood  sample  and  sending  it  to  the  doctor  for  diagnosis.  They  questioned 
their “professional” capability to perform such a task. 
It was thought that the centralised health record would provide access to 
complex  information  about  one’s  own  health  and  allow  for  an  integrated 
health approach. 

 

The  scenario  was  seen  as  being  realistic,  especially  regarding  biochips  and 
telemedicine.  

  These  innovations  were  thought  to  already  exist  in  a  more  limited  form 

 

today 
It was widely expected that it would take more than fifteen years for the 
Slovak  healthcare  system  to  meet  the  standards  presented  in  the 
scenario and that it would require a  significant  amount  of  funds  and a 
younger generation of doctors. 

Communication (Ubiquitous communication and interaction) 
The  “ubiquitous  communication  and  interaction”  scenario  was  seen  as  having 
both positive and negative perspectives. 

 

In  the  main,  the  participants  liked  the  first  part  of  this  scenario  about 
making  traffic  more  fluent/smooth  and  preventing/solving  crime.  They 
found the overall safety (traffic, crime) ideas a useful and just approach. 

  The most disliked aspect of this scenario was the continual and routine 
tracking  of  both  people  and  machinery,  with  many  concerned  about  a 
loss of privacy, manipulation, and restriction. 

  The  virtual  reality  and  communication  side  was  considered  to  be 

impersonal and evoked sadness, distance, alienation. 

Most  believed  that  some  of  the  innovations  already  exist.  The  innovations  are 
currently  less  sophisticated,  e.g.  tracking  by  cameras  and  facial  recognition, 
data collection about personal preferences via club cards and so on. 

The  holographic  calls  and  projections  have  only  been  seen  in  films.  This 
innovation is technically possible; however, it was considered as unrealistic that 
it would be part of everyday life within fifteen years. 

  The  holographic  projection  if  used  in  education  and  at  work  was 
considered  as  useful  –  interactive,  and  capable  of  saving  time  and  travel 
costs. It was more acceptable than holographs used at home because the 
relationships in work and education are seen as less personal. 

Environment 
The  “environment”  scenario  was  spontaneously  evaluated  as  positive.  It  was 
thought  to  deal  with  the  protection  of  environment  effectively,  i.e.  our  homes 
and our future. 

The  participants  primarily  liked  those  aspects  of  the  scenario  referring  to  an 
environmentally  caring  approach  and  reusing  materials  and  energy: 
recycling, renewable energy, recycled construction, and turning residues into fuel. 
  These  innovations  were  seen  as  technically  realistic  as  many  of  the 

innovations are already in use in some way. 

  However,  in  order  to  meet  the  ideas  described  in  this  scenario,  it  was 
considered  that  people  need  to  become  much  more  ecologically 
conscious. 

  The  participants  were  sceptical  about  the  feasibility  of  this  scenario  at  a 

general level and felt it would have to be stipulated by the law. 

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NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                       “Innovations, science and technology” 

  The  main  problem  in  adopting  these  innovations  was  thought  to  be  the 
lack  of  personal  involvement in environmental protection. It is seen to 
be  expensive  to  have  and  to  maintain  an  environmentally  friendly 
household. 

  Moreover,  it  was  widely  felt  to  be  companies  who  do  not  follow  and 

advocate environment protection.. 

The  innovations  concerning  geo-engineering  and  monitoring  in  agriculture 
were unfamiliar  to  most and thus surprising on the one hand, but on the other 
hand, they were not perceived as being relevant in the context of Slovakia. 

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NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                       “Innovations, science and technology” 

B. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY 

Objectives 

The  aim  of  this  qualitative  study  was  to  get  a  better  understanding  of  European 
opinion on the subject of innovations brought about by science and technology in 
society.  More  precisely,  its  main  objective  was  to  explore  reactions  to  some 
specific innovations that might be a part of everyday life for citizens in Europe in 
15 years’ time in four different areas.  

Four areas/scenarios were tested: 

  The house of the future (Homes and living),  
  Health and healthcare, 
  Communications (Ubiquitous communication and interaction), 
  The environment.  

Methodology and sampling 

Fieldwork  consisted  of  a  series  of  6  focus  groups,  each  approximately  two  hour 
and  a  half  in  length,  conducted  in  each  of  the  following  16  Member  States: 
France,  Denmark,  Germany,  Estonia,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Malta,  Netherlands, 
Poland,  Portugal,  Romania,  Slovakia,  Finland,  United  Kingdom  and  the  Czech 
Republic. 

Participant profile 

The table below presents the composition of groups: 
Group  Description 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

18-34 years old who finished their education between 17 and 22 

20-34 years old who finished their education between 20 and 25 

35-64 years old who finished their education before 18 

35-64 years old who finished their education before 18 

35-64 years old who finished their education after 18 

35-64 years old who finished their education after 18 

The detailed participant profiles and group composition, as well as details on the 
fieldwork dates are described in the technical report. 

National context  

There is not any relevant and obvious information related to the national context 
in  terms  of  the  economic  situation,  scientific  or  technological  events  and 
developments that would relate to the topic of this project. 

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NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                       “Innovations, science and technology” 

I.  GENERAL PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC AND 

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS 

This  chapter  focuses  on  the  participants’  general  view  on  scientific  and 
technological innovations in order to get an overall grasp of their opinion on this 
subject.  Firstly,  what  ideas,  feelings  and  associations  come  to  their  mind 
when  thinking  about  these  innovations?  What  positive  and  negative  aspects 
do  they  tend  to  associate  with  innovations  brought  about  by  science  and 
technology? Secondly, looking  back  on  recent  years,  which  innovations  do 
they  think  have  had  the most  impact  on  society  and  why? What changes 
did these scientific and technological innovations bring? 

1.1  General  associations  linked  to  the  notion  of  scientific 

innovation  

When 
spontaneously mentioned several positive connotations (see below). 

to  scientific  and 

technological 

innovations,  participants 

referring 

It  was  felt  that  today’s  generation  of  children  already  live  in  symbiosis  with 
technological innovations. 

  Today’s children grow up alongside these inventions. 
 

It is adults who need to learn and adjust to the changes brought about by 
scientific and technological innovations. 

“We have to  educate ourselves in the area of  innovation in order to keep 
up with the pace of development.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

There was an evident difference by age in views about innovation. 

 

In  general,  the  younger  participants  were  more  likely  to  accept  the 
changes brought about by innovations in a fairly positive manner. 

  The older participants worried more about the possible negative effects of 

innovations and expressed nostalgia for the past. 

The  positive  connotations  with  scientific  and  technological  innovation  which 
spontaneously come to the participants’ minds were: 

  Convenience  –  comfort,  simplification  of  a  wide  range  of  aspects  of 

life, and healthier living standards; 

  Development  –  progress, 

expansion,  modernisation,  quality, 
knowledge, ideas, experimentation, and research; 

improvement,  advancement,  growth, 
invention,  new  and  unexpected 

  Speed  –  of  changes,  of  information  and  availability  of  knowledge,  of 

communication, efficiency, and shortening time spans and distances; 

  Accessibility  to  people  –  as  technological  innovations  become  more 

widely available, they become cheaper. 

The negative connotations with scientific and technological innovation included: 

  Alienation  due  to  virtual/electronic/Internet  communication  – 
impersonal  communication;  a  loss  of  social  contacts,  closeness, 
memories,  and  emotions,  out  of  touch  with  reality,  relationships  not 
maintained and greater anonymity; 

  Impact  on  health–  physical  problems  due  to  “electro  smog”  from 
mobile devices, less  movement,  laziness; mental health due to stress, 
pressure, and being overwhelmed by numerous stimuli; 

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NATIONAL REPORT – SLOVAKIA                       “Innovations, science and technology” 

  Higher  unemployment  especially  in  the  area  of  routine  work  which  is 

increasingly being taken up by robots; 

  Monitoring  –  watching,  controlling,  manipulating  people  and  their 

opinions, a loss of privacy and misuse of information; 

“You never know who is watching.” (Slovakia, group 5) 

Impact on the natural environment; 

 
  Fashion  –  social  pressure  to  have  the  most  up-to-date  innovations, 

especially concerning cell phones; 
  Technology abuse and dependency. 

The  participants  agreed  that  innovations  bring  positives  and  negatives 
simultaneously,  and  it  is  up  to  the  individual  in  the  end  as  to  how  he/she 
handles  innovations.  Each  innovation  can  be  used  in  two  ways:  either  to  serve 
mankind or to harm mankind. 

“I cannot think of any innovation right now which would be totally positive 
or totally negative. Each innovation moves society further on. As time goes 
on,  negative  side  effects  may  appear  and  may  be  revised.”  (Slovakia, 
group 5) 

“Innovations are like a double sword.” (Slovakia, group 2) 

“On the one hand, people have more comfort thanks to technology; on the 
other hand, they are losing their privacy.” (Slovakia, group 5) 

“It’s a benefit when a child has a cell phone. The parents can check up on 
their  child,  but  then  the  child  is  hooked  to  the  Internet  all  the  time.” 
(Slovakia, group 5) 

1.2  The  most 

important  scientific  and 

technological 

innovations observed over recent years 

When  asked  to  reflect  on  the  most  important  scientific  and  technological 
innovations  over  the  last  fifteen  years,  the  participants  referred  to  the 
Internet,  cell  phones/smartphones,  notebooks  and  tablets,  the  medical 
field, TV, and household appliances. 

The word felt to best describe innovation is “electronification”. Electronification 
was  thought  to  penetrate  all  areas  of  life  but  most  evident  in  medicine  and 
transportation. 

All  six  groups  referred  to  the  Internet  and  cell  phones/smartphones  as  the 
most  important  innovations  brought  about  by  scientific  and  technological 
innovations. 

  They  have  the  biggest 

impact  on  society  because  they  are 
widespread  and  reach  the  mass  population,  irrespective  of  age, 
education, or social background. 

  The  biggest  advantage  and  impact  of  the  Internet  was  considered  to  be 

 

information availability and the ability to connect people. 
It was thought that cell phones are being taken over by smartphones which 
were perceived as “my  everything”, i.e. people have their smartphones with 
them  all  the  time  and  they  can  get  connected  with  any  person,  place, 
institution, etc. via the Internet. 

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The  other  most  often  mentioned  innovations  were  personal  computers, 
notebooks and tablets, mainly perceived as devices used to access the Internet. 
  Their  parameters  were  seen  as  being  advanced  in  comparison  to  fifteen 

years ago – smaller, thinner, and faster. 

  They  were  also  felt  to  be  much  more  widespread  among  the  general 

population. 

Another example of innovations mentioned quite often was progress  within the 
medical field. 

  New  instruments,  equipment,  and  procedures  allow  faster  and  more 
precise  diagnosis  and  more  gentle  (less  invasive,  less  painful)  surgery 
through the use of lasers or laparoscopy. 

  New  medicine  enables  medical  professionals  to  treat  more  illnesses  and 

diseases. 

  A  few  participants  mentioned  that  it  is  now  possible  to  perform 

remote/online surgery. 

Improvements  in  television  were  spontaneously  mentioned  by  five  groups 
(group 1, group 2, group 3, group 4 and group 5). 

  TVs now have flat and better quality screens 
  They  have  new  functions  (e.g.  archive,  stop  and  play),  new  external 

technologies (e.g. USB), supports and features. 

Some  other  examples  of  innovations  included  the  quality  and  power  of 
household appliances, energy efficiency, and intelligent homes. 

Further examples of innovations mentioned individually across the groups:  

  Cars – more electronics, better safety and navigation; 
  Electronic banking; 
  Digital cameras; 
  Fluorescent tubes; 
  Fibre optic connections 
  Social networking (Facebook); 
  Renewable resources. 

Recognised innovations in the prompted areas 
Health  and  medical  treatment  (for  more 
spontaneous reactions above) 

information  see 

the 

  When prompted the participants pointed out that instead of the health and 
wellbeing  of  patients,  pharmaceutical  companies  are  motivated  by  their 
business goals first and foremost. 

Education and knowledge 

  Electronification was also perceived to be present in the education system. 
  Children use interactive boards and computers. 
  Communication  between  parents  and  the  school is  also  often  electronic  – 

homework, information and electronic grade records. 

Living conditions and housing 

  A  new  trend  in  housing  was  described  by  participants,  the  “intelligent 

home” in which everything is electronically managed. 

  Appliances are more energy and cost efficient. 
 

It  was  also  mentioned  that  there  are  new  building  procedures, 
technologies  and  materials  which  make  houses  more  energy  efficient; 
however, most believed that initial investment is quite high. 

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Transport 

  Transportation (cars, trains, buses) was seen as being faster. 
  Electro cars and hybrid cars were recognised as using alternative fuels. 
  There  are  new  speed  safety  measures  on  roads,  e.g.  rumble  strips 

marking road borders. 

  GPS navigation was seen as used more extensively than before. 

Work and jobs 

  Routine  types  of  jobs  are  being  taken  by  robots  with  the  result  that 

unskilled people are more likely to be unemployed. 

  Participants  felt  that  people  are  now  forced  to  continually  educate 
themselves  in  order  to  keep  track  of  the  developments  and  changes  in 
ordinary life as well as in their professional lives. 

  Thanks to the Internet, people can now work remotely from home. 

Environmental protection 

  Participants  described  more  regulations  and  controlling  mechanisms  for 
factories  and  companies  in  order  to  make  them  more  more  socially 
responsible. 
It was believed for example that factories which emit air pollution have to 
use chimney filters. 

 

  Emissions from cars were recognised as being monitored. 
  Particpants  felt  that  there  is  a  recycling  trend  growing  in  Slovakia; 

although it not yet part of the culture or a routine for most people. 

“We could recycle, but we don’t want to.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

Energy 

  Energy-saving  products  now  exist,  e.g. 

fluorescent 

tubes,  house 

appliances (A+ class). 

  Wind and solar power is now used occasionally. 

Personal data and data security 

  Personal data security was a concern for participants, especially in relation 
to  online  banking,  but  most  believed  that  there  are  already  some 
legislative changes aimed at protecting personal data. 

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II.  SPONTANEOUS PROJECTIONS ON TOMORROWS 
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS 

This chapter focuses on participants’ spontaneous predictions about the scientific 
and  technological  innovations  that  could  be  part  of  daily  life  in  2030,  which 
changes are seen as beneficial and those seen  as more negative or undesirable. 
Finally, it looks at the scientific innovations in four selected areas: 

  How living at home will be different in the future;  
  how people will take care of their health;  
  how people will interact with each other and with machines;  
  and how people will protect the environment in 2030. 

2.1  The scientific innovations expected to be part of peoples’ 

daily life in 2030 and their possible impact  

The innovations  which were expected to be part of  daily  life  in  fifteen  years 
from today concerned four main areas: transportation, chips, communication, 
and automation (mentioned by all six groups). 

1.  Transportation  –  The  participants  believed 

that  cars  will  use 
alternative  fuels  such  as  electricity,  water,  and  air;  and  will  be  fully 
automatic.  They  believed  that  transportation  as  a  whole  will  be  more 
regulated, thus leading to fewer/no traffic jams in the future. 

o    

Advantages/benefits:  not  harming  the  environment,  fewer 
emissions,  more  fluid  and  faster  traffic,  time  saving,  lower 
expenditure, and less noise; 

o    

Disadvantages/threats:  fully  automatic  cars  may  be  unsafe 
(in terms of accident rates) due to hidden errors, especially at the 
beginning  of  introducing  such  cars  to  market,  too  many  cars,  and 
overcrowded roads. 

2.  Chips  –  It  was  thought  that  all  personal  (identification,  medical) 
information will be stored in a chip, which will also be used for registration, 
admission, localisation, and health (vital functions) monitoring. 

o    

Advantages/benefits:  not  interchangeable,  easy  access  to 
information,  personal  information  at  hand,  higher  street  safety  (it 
will  be  easier  to  detect  people  with  a  criminal  background),  faster 
and better health monitoring; 

o    

Disadvantages/threats:  misuse  of  personal  and  private 
information, a loss of anonymity, and the threat of being monitored 
and manipulated. 

3.  Communication – Communication (person to person, person to authority, 
education)  was  expected  to  be  mainly  virtual  in  the  future,  and  to  use 
holographic projection. 

o    

Advantages/benefits:  convenience, 

faster  availability  in 
terms of contacts and information, more senses involved (not only 
sight  and  hearing),  feeling  of  being  “in  touch”  with  others,  new 
ideas in terms of learning, and more realistic; 

“(Virtual) communication will be more sensory. For example, I have heard 
that even today the iPhone is capable of transmitting smell. So in 2030, it 
will be common.” (Slovakia, group 2) 

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o    

Disadvantages/threats: less personal contact, distance from 
real  people  and  the  real  world,  not  creating  memories,  no  sharing 
of  experiences,  mental  problems,  dependency  on  technology,  and 
misuse of tracked information. 

4.  Full automation and robotisation – Machines and appliances, especially 
those  used  in  households,  were  expected  to  run  automatically,  and  to  be 
self-regulated according through the use of settings. 

o    

Advantages/benefits: 

comfort, 

convenience, 

help, 

simplification, and economic and energetic efficiency; 

o    

Disadvantages/threats: electricity dependency, minimal 

movement, laziness, obesity, and loss of skills. 

5.  Medicine  (mentioned  mainly  by  group  1,  group  3  and  group  4)  –  These 
participants  expected  a  new  and  better  quality  of  medical  instruments, 
machinery,  and  procedures  (surgery),  and  less  invasive  and  painless 
treatment. 

o    

Advantages/benefits:  longer  and  healthier  life,  diagnosing 
unknown  diseases,  and  discovering  new  treatment  for  currently 
incurable diseases (cure for cancer will be discovered). 

o    

Disadvantages/threats: not mentioned. 

6.  Energy (mentioned mainly by group 5 and group 6) – These participants 
expected  alternative  and  renewable  resources  to  be  used  such  as  water, 
air, and sun light. 

o    
o    

Advantages/benefits: not harming the environment; 
Disadvantages/threats: not mentioned. 

2.2  Expected innovations in selected areas  

Homes and living 
The  participants  pictured  their  households  as  producing  less  waste  thanks  to 
better waste separation and more ecological  building materials.  It  was thought 
that everything in the house will be electronically managed in the future. 

Health and healthcare 
The participants expected some changes and innovations in healthcare, mainly: 
  New  and  improved  quality  in  terms  of  medical  machinery  and 

instruments; 

  Electronic communication between patients and doctors; 
  Chips monitoring health – with which doctors then make diagnoses. 

At the same time, the participants added that it is unrealistic that the healthcare 
system  in  Slovakia  can  develop  at  this  rate,  based  on  how  little  it  has  changed 
over the last fifteen years. 

Ubiquitous communication and interaction 
See the spontaneous reaction in chapter 2.1 Communication 

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Environment 
The participants imagined that by the year of 2030, more people will live in cities 
and the countryside will be in decline. 

  Spontaneously  participants  anticipated  that  the  environment  will  be 

burdened and polluted by human activities. 

  Moreover,  participants  felt  that  environmental  protection  is  not  a  global 
priority – and while there are some countries which strive to protect the 
environment,  there  are  other  countries  which  continue  to  pollute  the 
environment. 

When  prompted,  the  participants  believed  that  the  environment  will  be  more 
protected  (as  mentioned  above)  in  the  future  –  better  waste  separation, 
ecological houses and materials, and alternative resources. 

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III.  REACTIONS TO FUTURE SCIENTIFIC AND 

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS IN SELECTED 
AREAS  

The  main  objective  of  the  study  was  to  explore  reactions  to  some  specific 
innovations  that  might  be  a  part  of  everyday  life  for  citizens  in  Europe  in  15 
years’ time in four different areas.  

  The house of the future (homes and living);  
  Health and healthcare; 
  Communications (ubiquitous communication and interaction); 
  The environment.  

A  scenario  related  to  each  theme  and  introducing  possible  innovations  was 
presented during the focus-groups. 

This chapter focuses on participants’ reactions to the four scenarios. 

3.1  Homes and living 

First impressions/general feelings towards the scenario 

The “homes and living” scenario was spontaneously perceived to be impersonal, 
generating negative feelings (disappointed, shocked, mixed feelings, weird), and 
was generally rejected by participants. 

“I don’t like it. I’d wake up in the morning and immediately see some sort 
of robot. There’s nothing charming or homely about it.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

“I’d  prefer  my  wife  saying  'wake  up,  darling,  the  sun  is  shining'  to 
something with squeaking wheels.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

“I don’t like that everything is planned, predictable, and set up.” (Slovakia, 
group 6) 

Pra  was  perceived  as  cold,  lacking  the  warmth  of  home,  dehumanised, 
unsociable, and too robotic. The main concern of  participants  was  what they 
would  do (what their duties, responsibilities, tasks, aims, assets, etc. would be) 
if Pra did everything for them. 

“I  would  welcome  help  like  this  in  household;  however,  I  would  prefer  to 
make the breakfast by myself.” (Slovakia, group 3) 

It seemed to participants that people would no longer be able to do anything by 
themselves. Moreover, they felt that it appeared in the scenario as though people 
would not be able to make their own decisions and that every decision would 
have to be made by technology. 

Some  participants  expressed  their  fears  that  the  data  stored  on-line  inside 
company servers could be misused. 

There  were  some  positives  spontaneously  mentioned  in  this  scenario,  such  as 
help  in  the  household  and  with  housework,  energy  efficiency,  and  information 
being kept on record. 

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The  older  participants  (group  3  and  group  6)  believed  that  this  scenario  is 
suitable for single people, but not for families. 

“It’s useless for a family. A family wants to be together, to talk. I want my 
children to wake me up and my wife to prepare the breakfast, not a robot.” 
(Slovakia, group 3) 

Assessment of the scenario 

The participants liked three aspects of this scenario: 

  Help  in  the  household – registering food supplies, on-line ordering and 
shopping,  and  cleaning.  The  added  value  was  thought  to  lie  in  having 
more free time for family and oneself. 
N.B.:  By  reading  the  text  "to  arrange  the  cleaning  of  the  house",  the 
participants  were  not  consistent  in  their  interpretation  of  who  is  the  one 
who  actually  does  the  cleaning.  Half  of  the  participants  believed  that  Pra 
himself  would  clean  the  house;  the  other  half  believed  that  Pra  would 
arrange that a cleaning team (always mentioned in the plural, never in the 
singular e.g. “cleaner”) cleans the house. 

  Energy  efficient  home  –  regulating  the  temperature  by  blocking  the 

sunlight and exact monitoring of electricity consumption/ production. 

  Source  and  record  present/actual  information  –  weather  forecasts, 
schedules,  messages.  Pra  could  be  useful  for  elderly  people,  e.g.  in 
keeping a record of medicine taking. 

The participants disliked the following three aspects of this scenario: 

  Missing/losing  human  purpose  is  the  main  worry  in  terms  of  this 
particular  scenario.  The  participants  question  “What  am  I  here  for?  How 
can  I  be  useful  to  others  when  technology  can  do  everything  instead  of 
me?" 

“I don’t like the idea – the fridge notifies, Pra orders and then it’s delivered 
by a drone; now, come on! I want to do it by myself, at least the ordering.” 
(Slovakia, group 6) 

  The  robot  appearance  which  was  perceived  as  looking  very  unnatural. 
Two participants (group 1 and group 6) spontaneously expressed that the 
house  itself  could  have  the  abilities  of  Pra.  The  house  itself  could  be 
“intelligent”. 

“I don’t like the idea of a box chasing me around the house. It is possible 
to make it more intelligent.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

  Online data stored on company servers was perceived as being a loss 
of  privacy.  The  participants  didn’t  feel  comfortable  with  the  idea  that  the 
information  could  be  misused.  If  the  data  needs  to  be  stored,  then  they 
felt it should only in Pra’s memory or on a private server at home. 

On the one hand, the scenario was primarily perceived as unrealistic (sci-fi, as if 
in a movie) and not likely to be the case in fifteen years from now. On the other 
hand, it was thought that trends in homes and living are already heading 
in this direction. 

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The barriers to adopting this scenario were: 

  Economic –the robot Pra (but also other robotic and electronic ideas) will 
be expensive, and thus available only to wealthy people who can afford it 
and who are fans of the latest novelties and innovations. 

  Social – it seemed to participants as if people would not need one another 

anymore, and will be able to make do with technology alone  

  Habit – people will have to get used to using technology to such an extent 

in the home 

  Threatened feeling of freedom in decision making – participants had 
the  feeling  that  Pra  would  do  and  decide  everything.  They  did  not 
comprehend or fully realise that it would be them who would pre-program 
the settings of Pra. 

“Our parents would never be able to imagine that they could have 
something like this at home. We probably can imagine it and the 
generation at elementary school today will accept this as something 
completely ordinary.” (Slovakia, group 1) 

Assessment of the innovations contained in the scenario 

In  general,  the  participants  were  not  surprised  by  the  innovations  mentioned  in 
this scenario. 

  They believed that these innovations  exist already today, but at a more 

basic level of development. 

  The majority of participants wondered how the robot could learn to adapt 
services  to  a  person’s  habits,  and  to  build  a  profile  of  a  person’s 
preferences. 

The  most  useful  aspects  of  this  scenario  were  considered  to  be  those  which 
save  money,  time,  and  energy  –  a  sensor  in  the  fridge,  cleaning, 
scheduling, help in household, and grocery shopping. 

The  least  useful  aspects  of  this  scenario  were  those  which  affect,  even 
threaten human values: online data storing, and being woken up by Pra. 

There were two innovations described in this scenario that were unacceptable to 
participants: 

  Pra - perceived as being in charge of everything. 
  Online data storing (for more information see the paragraphs above). 

Overall ranking of the innovations contained in the scenario 

The innovations the participants generally like were linked to energy  efficiency 
and help in the household: 
(Ranking from the most liked) 

  Coated glass: 

o  Like = automatically  adjusting to people’s needs, preferences,  and 

increasing comfort; 

o  Dislike = some people (and flowers, plants etc.) have a preference 

for sunshine; 

o  This innovation was perceived as realistic already. There are blinds 
today which automatically close or open depending on the weather. 

  Smart meters: 

o  Like = primarily saving money (not energy as such); 
o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned; 

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o  This  innovation  was  preferred  by  participants  from  older  groups 

(group 3 and group 6). 

  Pra – household chores: 

o  Like = will help with household chores, especially cleaning which is 

considered to take a lot of time; 
o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned. 

  Smart fridge: 

o  Like = keeping track of stocks and informing users; 
o  Dislike  =  feeling  of  being  not  self-sufficient,  and  the  assumption 
that the person would not be able to keep track of what they need 
or have in the fridge, and the idea that they could not change their 
tastes; 

  Pra – personal assistant: 

o  Like = easy information access; 
o  Dislike = perceived as a loss of freedom in decision making; 
o  This innovation was mainly preferred by group 1 and group 

3. 

The  innovations  the  participants  generally  rejected  related  to  information 
storing: 
(Ranking from the most rejected) 

  Pra – online data servers: 

o  Like = no likes perceived; 
o  Dislike = threat of misusing personal information. 
o 

“No  loss  of  memory  if  Pra  breaks  down”  is  not  perceived  as  a 
benefit,  and  it  corresponds  with  no  need  to  keep  records  of  home 
events, etc. 

  Pra – records: 

o  Like = no obvious benefits perceived; 
o  Dislike = perceived as being useless. 

  Home delivery by drone: 

o  Like = no likes mentioned; 
o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned; 
o  N.B.  Out  of  all  three  groups  in  which  the  "homes  and  living" 
scenario  was  presented,  only  two  participants  knew  what  a  drone 
was. Moreover, it was difficult for them to picture how the delivery 
would work. 

Alternative scientific innovations  

There were not any other innovations or alternatives in this area considered to be 
more useful or more acceptable. 

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3.2  Health and healthcare 

First impressions/general feelings towards the scenario 

The  “health  and  healthcare”  scenario  was  spontaneously  evaluated  with  two 
main  perspectives  coming through– healthcare was perceived positively, while 
healthcare when linked with supermarkets was viewed negatively. 

  Healthcare  by  itself  was  evaluated  as  efficient  (time  saving),  useful, 
practical  (having  an  overview  of  one’s  own  health,  early  diagnosis,  and 
early intervention) and simple (easy access). 

  Healthcare when linked with supermarkets was rejected. 

o  From  this  point  of  view,  the  participants  believed  that  the  aim  of 
the  whole  scenario  would  be  for  business  only  and  that  the 
supermarket  would  only  use  the  information  about  customers  to 
manipulate them and  to make them buy things in order to make 
profit for the supermarket. 

o  The participants felt that the supermarket would know more private 

information about them than they wanted. 

o  Moreover,  the  scenario  implied  that  the  supermarket  would  be 
i.e.  the 

taking  the  position  of  a  medical  practitioner, 
supermarket dictates what is good for a person.  

o  The  most  often  mentioned  associations  were:  business,  marketing 
tricks,  distrust,  control,  pressure,  no  freedom  to  choose,  watching 
one’s preferences, manipulation, pushy, and stupidity. 

o  Very  rarely  did  participants  acknowledge  the  benefit  of  dietary 

advice that would be provided by supermarkets. 

“It  sounds  as  I’m  supposed  to  buy  the  product  which  is  recommended  to 
me.” (Slovakia, group 3) 

“I don’t like the idea that  a supermarket  could know  something about my 
health conditions.” (Slovakia, group 1) 

“I  don’t  like  the  interconnection  of  health  and  supermarkets.  It’s  just 
heading  towards  the  fact  that  we’ll  be  much  easier  manipulated  by 
different companies.” (Slovakia, group 1) 

“If  I  want  to  buy  a  cake,  I  buy  it.  It  doesn’t  mean  at  all  that  my  eating 
habits are bad or that I don’t do any sport.” (Slovakia, group 5) 

“I  guess  there’d  be  a  business  link  between  supermarkets  and  doctors.” 
(Slovakia, group 3) 

“The  supermarkets  will  offer  only  those  products  that  need  to  be  sold.” 
(Slovakia, group 1) 

Assessment of the scenario 

The participants liked the following three aspects of this scenario: 

  Wearable  biochips  for  health  monitoring  –  this  was  perceived  as  a 
good  tool  for  a  person  who  suffers  from  a  disease.  The  participants 
imagine  that  the  biochip  could  monitor  the  sugar  level  in  blood  for 
diabetics,  the  heart  pressure  for  those  with  heart  problems,  etc.  It  was 
also  considered  as  less  invasive  than  monitoring  the  sugar  level  by 
taking blood samples. 

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  Wearable  biochips  for  health  diagnosis  –  was  preferred;  however, 
some  found  it  difficult  to  imagine  the  practical  side  of  this  –  a  need  for 
technical  and  medical  equipment  at  home.  Some  of  the  participants 
worried  about  a  lack  of  expertise  when  providing  a  blood  sample  by 
oneself, for example. 

“At the hospital, I trust the outcome of tests. There’s a professional 
present.” (Slovakia, group 1) 

  Centralised health record – was thought to have great benefits not only 
for  individuals,  but  also  for  their  doctors.  The  person  as  well  as  their 
doctor would have access to complex  information about their health in 
one  place.  Such  a  health  record  would  allow  for  an  integrated  health 
approach. 

  Video-calls with a doctor – this was seen as a time-saving benefit for 
patients.  The  participants  understood  that  the  telemedicine  concerns 
primarily consulting some simple (virus based) illnesses and test results. 

o  Some  participants  mentioned 

telemedicine 
(consultations  via  phone)  already;  however,  this  tends  to  be  a 
feature of private medical centres. 

they  use 

that 

o  Few participants expressed concerns about the management of the 

telemedicine appointments. 

“I  see  video-calling  with  a  doctor  as  utopia.  How  long  would  we  have  to 
wait on line to get connected?” (Slovakia, group 5) 

“I wonder how telemedicine will be managed. How can I talk to  my doctor 
when his waiting room is full of patients?” (Slovakia, group 1) 

There  were  some  participants  who  simply  prefer  personal  contact  with  their 
doctors and found the idea of telemedicine  too impersonal, not trustworthy, and 
less professional. 

The main and only disliked  aspect of this scenario was that the impulse  comes 
from  a  supermarket  (for  more  information  see  “First  impressions/general 
feelings  towards  the  scenario”).  Some  participants,  especially  the  older  ones  in 
group 3, disliked the idea of negative reminders  of possible illness or diseases –
seen as creating anxiety and fear. 

“I’d  get  scared;  I  suppose  that  every  minute  some  professional  would  let 
me know what I’m supposed to buy and that I should undertake some sort 
of health examination. Elderly people will go mad.” (Slovakia, group 3) 

Younger  participants  (group  1)  spontaneously  mentioned  that  some  of  the 
innovations  are  already  in  practice,  e.g.  phone  consulting  with  doctors  and 
chips to check blood sugar levels in diabetics. 

“This  is  how  I  imagine  healthcare  will  be  in  the  future.  Many  of  the 
mentioned innovations already exist today.” (Slovakia, group 1) 

Older participants (group 3 and group 5) did not believe that this scenario could 
realistically  be  the  case in fifteen years from now in Slovakia  – it was viewed 
as a utopia, sci-fi, funny, naïve. 

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The barriers to adopting this scenario were: 

  Distrust: 

o 

o 

that  a  commercially  motivated  supermarket  could  have  any 
beneficial intentions towards people; 
that self-made tests could be valid. 

  State  of  the  Slovak  healthcare  system – it was believed that it would 
take more than fifteen  years, a lot of funds, and a younger generation of 
doctors to meet the standards presented in the scenario. 

  Economic  barriers  –group  3  participants  believed  that  healthcare  as 
described  in  the  scenario  would  be  expensive,  and  thus  unavailable  to 
ordinary people. 

  Technical barriers –group 1 participants believed that especially the older 
generation  (group  1  participants’  parents)  does  not  have  the  technical 
equipment or technical skill required. 

Assessment of the innovations contained in the scenario 

In  general,  the  participants  were  not  surprised  by  the  innovations  concerning 
healthcare mentioned in this scenario. 

  They were aware that there are already some kinds of biochips even today. 
Still the  wearable  biochips  for  monitoring  health  were  the  biggest 
surprise.  It  was  quite  difficult  for  participants  to  imagine  how  such  a 
small thing can monitor one’s health. 

  The participants seldom mentioned genetic testing as an innovation. From 
this  scenario  they  understood  that  these  tests  would  be  more  widely 
available on  a regular  basis – and this day to day aspect  of genetic tests 
was the innovation. 

The  most  useful  aspects  of  this  scenario  were  perceived  to  be  those  which 
strengthen one’s health: early diagnosis, biochip monitoring, telemedicine, 
access to one’s own health record, and development of new medicine. 

The  least  useful  aspects  of  this  scenario  were  those  which  concerned  the 
supermarket and its “health oriented” activities: recommendation to have a 
test,  purchasing  a  test  in  supermarket,  pointing  to  an  early  sign  of  a  disease 
without any justification. 

The  only  innovation  described  in  this  scenario  that  was  unacceptable  to  the 
participants is the interconnection of supermarkets and the healthcare system. 

  First  of  all,  it  was  believed  that  supermarkets  do  not  need  the  personal 

information about the customer. 

  Secondly,  supermarkets  do  not  have  the  professional  right  to  deal  with 

customers’ health. 

Overall ranking of the innovations contained in the scenario 

The  innovations  the  participants  generally  liked  were  those  linked  to  overall 
knowledge of one’s own health and effective health diagnoses: 
(Ranking from the most liked) 
  Wearable biochips: 

o  Like = available information about health, health under control, and 

prompt intervention if needed; 

o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned. 

  Centralised health data record: 

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o  Like  =  health  information  available  to  the  patient  and  his/her 
doctors,  no  need  to  carry  any  paper  records,  and  new  medical 
developments; 

o  Dislike  =  concern  that  the  personal  information  may  be  misused; 
however, in this context the threat was not felt to be as strong as 
in the “homes and living” scenario – online data storing. 

  Telemedicine: 

o  Like = quick, time saving, and effective; 
o  Dislike  =  impersonal,  a  questionable  level  of  adequacy,  and 

professional diagnosis. 

The  innovation  the  participants  generally  rejected  was  the  one  linked  to  the 
interconnection between supermarkets and the health care system: 

  Dietary advice: 

o  Like = a person does not have to look for dietary recommendations 

by himself/herself; 

o  Dislike  =  the  supermarket  suggests  what  foodstuff  to  buy  –
perceived as manipulation and the idea that “business comes first”. 

Genetic  tests  and  stem  cell  therapy  were  evaluated  as  positive.  Both  of  these 
innovations would help to prevent health problems. 

  These  innovations  were  rather  abstract  for  the  participants  and  it  was 

difficult for them to truly reason their opinion on this topic. 

  The  negative  aspect  of  the  genetic  tests  was  seen  to  be  the  connection 

with supermarkets. 

Alternative scientific innovations  

There  were  not  any  other  innovations  or  alternatives  in  this  area  seen  as  more 
useful or more acceptable. 

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3.3  Ubiquitous communication and interaction 

First impressions/general feelings towards the scenario 

The  “ubiquitous  communication  and  interaction”  scenario  was  spontaneously 
evaluated both positively and negatively: 

  Positive – road and traffic safety, fair approach to responsible driving. 
  Negative  –  excessive  tracking  of  people  (cameras),  lack  of  privacy; 
and 
evokes 

communication 

sadness 

feelings 

of 

virtual 
disappointment. 

Assessment of the scenario 

The  participants  liked  the  first  part  of  this  scenario,  related  to  making  traffic 
more fluent/smooth, and preventing and solving crime. 

  Road  and  traffic  safety  and  the  protection  of  people  was  highly 
appreciated and seen as being essential. It was expected that the number 
of accidents and crime will decline. 
It was considered as just and fair that drivers would not only be punished 
for  their  trespasses  (fines),  but  also  rewarded  for  following  and  meeting 
the regulations (a lower car insurance price). 

 

The most seriously disliked aspect of this scenario was the continual and routine 
tracking of people and machinery. 

  Tracking  by  satellites,  sensors,  or  cameras  (used  by  authorities, 
companies  or  shopping  malls)  was  considered  a  loss  of  privacy, 
manipulation, restriction, control, a loss of freedom in decision making, 
and harassment (notifications about products a person might or might not 
be interested in). 

o  Data  collection  when  interconnected  with  a  social  network  was 
rejected primarily by older participants (mainly group 4  and group 
5). 

o  Very few participants considerd a message received from a store to 

be a convenience. 

“I do not like the whole idea, neither about being tracked, where and why I 
go  there,  nor  about  being  tracked  by  a  shopping  mall  camera  in  order  to 
get product notifications.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

  Virtual  reality  and  communication  were  considered  impersonal,  and 

evoked feelings of sadness, distance, and alienation. 

o  Moreover, for many participants it was quite difficult to picture the 
holographic  projection  and  felt  that  the  person’s  projection  would 
resemble a ghost which was seen as discomfiting 

o  There  were  some  participants  who  looked  forward  to  holographs 
and understood that the holographic call would be of a new, higher 
quality. 

“The personal interaction will  grow cold. People will not create memories 
because  they  will  not  have  any  experience  from  real  interaction.  In 
communication  via  technology,  people  cannot  use  their  senses  of  smell 
and touch.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

“The result will be that family members will not meet so often.” (Slovakia, 
group 2) 

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“Skype  is  enough  for  me.  I  really  don’t  need  any  imaginary  tool.” 
(Slovakia, group 4) 

The  participants  considered  some  innovations  realistic  –  those  which  are  used 
already today, although in a less sophisticated way. 

  Tracking  by  cameras  is  already  in  place;  however,  the  participants 

believed that facial recognition technology is not widespread yet. 

  Data  collection  about  personal  preferences  exists  in  online  shopping  or 

via club cards. 

o  This  way  of  data  collection  is  more  acceptable  than  via  facial 
recognition because it is seen as being the card that is tracked not 
the person – at least, this is the participants’ perspective. 

o  Moreover,  it  is  the  person’s  choice  to  activate  a  club  card.  Being 

recognised by cameras is not one’s own choice. 

“It  (the  tracking)  already  exits  and  people  don’t  even  think  about  it.” 
(Slovakia, group 2) 

“I  don’t  mind  if  I  get  some  tailor-made  coupons  from  Tesco  (shopping 
preferences identified from the club card). I just don’t want my face to be 
identified.” (Slovakia, group 5) 

Holographic  calls  and  projections  were  seen  as  being  technically  possible; 
however,  they  were  also  considered  unrealistic  to  be  part  of  everyday  life  in 
fifteen years from now. 

The  participants  did not  mention  any  barriers  concerning  tracking  but  were  not 
happy with it nonetheless. 

 

It  would  not  be  their  decision  whether  or  not  they  are  tracked  but  the 
decision of  an  authority, a company or a shopping mall and a matter of 
legacy. Once it is allowed by the law, people would have to accept it. 

“Ordinary people will not decide about this.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

Assessment of the innovations contained in the scenario 

Overall,  the  participants  were  aware  of  and  not  surprised  by  the  innovations 
mentioned in this scenario. 

  However,  holographic  calls  from  home  were  quite  surprising  with  most 
only  aware  about  holographic  calls  from  films  and  a  professional 
environment. 

  Some  participants  also  expressed  their  surprise  at  instant  messaging 

about new products and discounts while shopping. 

There were two useful aspects of this scenario perceived by participants: 

  Traffic fluency - making the traffic safer in general; 
  Holographs  -  used  in  education  and  at  work  (for  more  information  see 

below). 

The  least  useful  aspect  of  this  scenario  was  being  tracking  by  shopping  malls. 
The  participants  believed  that  it  would  be  useful  for  the  shopping  mall  only,  not 
for the customer. 

The only unacceptable innovation was facial recognition. 

 

It  was  seen  to  provide  massive  amounts  of  detailed  information  about 
every person. 

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  The  participants  were  worried  about  a  misuse  of  this  information,  where 
privacy  would  be  completely  lost  and  completely  controlled  by  an 
authority. 

Overall ranking of the innovations contained in the scenario 

The  innovations  the  participants  generally  liked  related  to  better  connection 
with people and places: 
(Ranking from the most liked) 

  Virtual reality in education and at work: 

o  Like = interactive, time and travel cost saving; 
o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned. 
o  Virtual  reality  in  this  area  was  seen  as  more  acceptable  as  the 

relationships are less personal. 

  Virtual reality at home: 

o  Like  =  a  new  type  of  communication,  and  being  in  touch  with 

others; 

o  Dislike = impersonal, weird, beyond imagination. 

The  innovations  the  participants  generally  rejected  related  to  omnipresent 
tracking: 
(Ranking from the most rejected) 

  Facial recognition technology: 

o  Like = only when used for the sake of safety within the community, 

tracking violence and crime; 

o  Dislike = a loss of privacy. 

  Ubiquitous tracking: 

o  Like = enhancing order, safety; 
o  Dislike  =  a  loss  of  freedom,  privacy,  a  person  does  not  have  any 

control over it, information misuse. 

  Data collection: 

o  Like = convenience in providing an adequate offer to customer; 
o  Dislike  =  would  interfere  in  one’s  own  choice,  decision  making, 
pressure, business, distrust in the offer - “not meant for my benefit, 
meant for the benefit of the company”. 

The innovation “virtual reality in public places”  was quite abstract and difficult to 
imagine  for  the  participants  (what  they  would  see,  in  what  situations  they  could 
use it), thus they did not express many opinions on it. 

  They assumed it would be beneficial. 
  They did not associate any negative aspects with this innovation. 

Alternative scientific innovations  

There  were  not  any  other  innovations  or  alternatives  in  this  area  seen  as  more 
useful or more acceptable. 

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3.4  Environment 

First impressions/general feelings towards the scenario 

The  “environment”  scenario  was  spontaneously  evaluated  as  positive,  as  it 
would deal effectively with the protection of environment. 

 

In  general, 
idea  of  protecting  the 
liked 
environment because the environment is our home  and  our  future – if 
we destroy it, where will we live? 

the  participants 

the 

  They  spontaneously  mentioned  that  people  need  to  become  highly 
ecologically  conscious  in  order  to  meet  the  ideas  described  in  this 
scenario. 

Although the participants welcomed the idea of protecting the environment, they 
were sceptical about the feasibility of this.  

“It  reminds  me  of  a  novel  by  Jules  Verne.  It’s  sci-fi.  It  sounds  like  we’ll 
live in an age when everyone adheres to the rules which are beneficial for 
the environment.” (Slovakia, group 4) 

Assessment of the scenario 

The  participants  liked  mainly  those  aspects  of  this  scenario  relating  to 
environmentally  caring  approach  –  reusing  materials  and  energy: 
recycling, renewable energy, recycled construction, and turning residues into fuel. 

Some  participants  mentioned  that  the  scenario  did  not  show  the  whole  picture. 
The scenario showed what would be done in certain areas in order to protect the 
environment  but  did  not  say  what  would  be  done  with  those  areas  which  harm 
the environment today, e.g. batteries. 

The  participants  considered  the  innovations  concerning  the  energy  efficient 
homes and recycling (materials, waste, water) to be realistic - as many of the 
innovations are already in use in some form. 

  The  innovations  concerning  agriculture  were  too  unrealistic  to  be  seen  as 
being  reality  in  fifteen  years  from  now.  Agriculture  would  need  a  lot  of 
funds. 
It  was  thought  that  the  innovations  concerning  geo-engineering  may  be 
realistic;  however,  it  was  distant,  i.e.  too  scientific  and  not  fully 
understood. 

 

The participants saw four main barriers in adopting this scenario:  

  People’s nature – People need to learn to protect their environment; it is 
not  implicitly  in  their  nature  (referring  to  Slovaks).  They  need  to  be 
educated  and  brought  up  in  such  a  manner.  Moreover,  people  will  not 
protect  the  environment  for  no  apparent  reason.  They  need  external 
input,  motivation  -  either  in  form  of  a  financial  benefit  (e.g.  a  financial 
reward  for  recycling  or  using  alternative  energy),  or  in  form  of  legal 
direction. 

“Our people do not have this ecological feeling. They do not see the reason 
for it. They are not motivated in this way.” (Slovakia, group 2) 

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“I  live  in  a  house  and  I  have  one  waste  container.  I  wanted  to  do  waste 
separation  but  to  have  three  waste  containers  –  regular  waste,  paper, 
plastic – I would have to pay three times more. Therefore, I have only one 
container, and I don’t separate waste, but I pay less.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

“The  general  public  is  very  indifferent.  They  will  not  do  waste  separation 
unless  they  get  some  financial  motivation.  For  example,  in  the  village 
where  my  parents  live,  people  walk  from  their  houses  to  a  public  plastic 
and  paper  container  to  separate  the  waste.  But  their  motivation  is  not  to 
protect nature, it’s to not to pay for their full  container.”  (Slovakia, group 
6) 

“People  may  be  motivated  by  lower  fees  for  waste  when  separating.” 
(Slovakia, group 2) 

  Business  –  It  was  thought  that  the  commercial  field  pushes  people  into 
buying more, thus factories need to produce more. In the end, this leads 
to  more  pollution  and  waste.  Any  environment  protecting  machinery, 
equipment,  procedures  etc.  are  expensive;  e.g.  solar  panels  and  LED 
lights. In addition, some companies do not allow environmentally friendlier 
resources as they wish to protect their own business. 

“What’s  missing  from  this  scenario  is  the  change  of  people’s  way  of 
thinking.  They  need  to  learn  that  they  do  not  need  that  much  food,  stuff, 
and  supplies.  As  long  as  production  continues  to  increases,  waste 
separation isn’t going to save us.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

“It is incompatible to have advanced technological living standards and to 
have a sustainable planet.” (Slovakia, group 2) 

“It  is  all  about  business.  The  world  of  innovations  is  progressing  and 
there’s big pressure to have something new, better, and of higher quality.” 
(Slovakia, group 6) 

“It needs to be the agenda of the public sector, not of the business sector.” 
(Slovakia, group 2) 

  Legislative  change  on  a  national  and  global  level  –  It  was  felt  that 
environmental  protection  needs  to  be  started  by  an  authority,  and  that 
regulations  need  to  be  imposed  on  the  market.  Participants  felt  that 
individual effort would not change anything. 

“The fish rots from the head. If the initiative doesn’t come from above, we 
individuals cannot change anything.” (Slovakia, group 6) 

“It  needs  to  be  provided  by  the  law  in  order  for  people  to  adhere  to  it 
(protecting the environment).” (Slovakia, group 2) 

Assessment of the innovations contained in the scenario 

The innovations concerning geo-engineering and monitoring in agriculture were 
rather unfamiliar and surprising for most. 

  The  participants  did  not  understand  the  meaning  “carbon  ocean 
fertilisation”.  Out  of  all  the  focus  groups  in  which  this  scenario  was 
presented, there were only two participants familiar with this term. 

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  The phrase “underground CO2 storage” was more conceivable; however, 

it was still quite abstract in practice. 

  Monitoring 

in  agriculture  (crops,  cattle)  sounded 

futuristic  and 

particularly relevant in a country as small as Slovakia. 

Every aspect that helps to protect the  environment was  seen as useful. The two 
most  useful aspects of this scenario  were perceived to be  those which concern 
the recycling of waste, water, materials; and energy efficiency – solar panels.  

The least useful aspects of this scenario were seen to be: 

  Monitoring  in  agriculture: A few participants expressed their concerns 
as  to  whether  or  not  such  monitoring  would  harm  the  animals  in  some 
way. Some participants questioned whether it would be possible to move 
freely outdoors, e.g. hiking. 

  Wind  farms  on  rooftops:  It  was  quite  difficult  for  participants  to 
imagine  what  such  a  wind  farm  would  look  like,  being  familiar  only  with 
the regular, larger wind turbines. Similarly they could not imagine how a 
small wind farm could produce enough energy for a house. 
  Geo-engineering: distant, not pertaining to everyday life. 

Overall ranking of the innovations contained in the scenario 

The innovations the participants generally liked related to recycling and energy 
efficiency: 
(Ranking from the most liked) 

  Recycling of waste: 

o  Like = overall idea of reusing waste, not making piles of waste, not 

putting strain on nature; 

o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned. 
o  The  text  indicated  that  “citizens  separate  and  recycle  waste 
themselves”.  According  to  the  participants,  it would  be  possible  to 
separate at home but not to recycle. The only thing they would be 
able to recycle at home is the bio/food waste that could be turned 
into compost. 

  Recycling of materials and natural resources: 

o  Like  =  overall  idea  of  reusing  waste,  not  piling  waste,  not  putting 

strain on nature; 

o  Dislike  =  sounded  strange  to  people  that  “my  house  is  built  from 

waste”.  

  Conversion of waste in value-added products: 

o  Like  =  overall  idea  of  reusing  waste,  not  piling  waste,  not 

burdening nature; 

o  Dislike = “turn agricultural residues into plastic”  – the participants 
did  not  understand  how  this  could  be  beneficial  for  environment. 
They  reasoned  that  agricultural  waste  is  degradable  in  nature, 
unlike plastic waste. 

o  New farming management: 
o  Like = using less chemicals; 
o  Dislike = no dislikes mentioned. 
o 

“Minimum amounts of inputs” was understood as if there would be 
too  little,  limited  amount  of  inputs  used.  Use  the  word  “adequate” 
or “reasonable”. 

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  Energy  efficient  homes  and  cities  –  renewable  energy  –  solar 

panels: 

o  Like = lower energy costs; 
o  Dislike = solar panel production is harmful  to environment – using 

some acids. 

The innovation the participants disliked and rejected: 

  Energy  efficient  homes  and  cities  –  renewable  energy  –  wind 

farms: 

o  Like = no likes mentioned; 
o  Dislike  =  would  harm  the  ecosystem,  especially  birds,  weight,  not 

visually unappealing. 

Alternative scientific innovations  

There  were  not  any  other  innovations  or  alternatives  in  this  area  seen  as  more 
useful or more acceptable. 

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IV.  CONCLUSION 

The  discussion  about  innovations  brought  about  by  science  and  technology  had 
no  influence  in  terms  of  changing  participants’  mind  on  this  topic.  In  the  main, 
their interest remained at the same level during and following the discussion. 

  The scenarios evoked an unanswered question: "How will it really be in the 

future?" 

  Some participants appreciated that the scenarios tried to describe complex 

information about the presented topics. 

  Some  participants  expressed  a  wish  that  development,  progress  and 

changes will not be so fast, and not too extreme. 

29