Perceptions of Time Travel as a Measure of Public Engagement  with Science in Developing Communities

This study investigates public attitudes toward time travel as a way to explore the

broader relationship between science and society. By examining how individuals

perceive time travel, the research highlights the influence of imagination, belief,

and scientific understanding. A quantitative survey was conducted among youth in

Turkmenistan, using illustrated storytelling based on established theories like

special relativity and speculative concepts such as wormholes, to explore intuition

and scientific literacy of the participants. Results showed a strong preference for

future-directed time travel, with 73.7% accepting scientifically supported ideas like

time dilation, while the level of skepticism toward past-directed travel and

wormholes remained high. Discussion revealed that narrative-driven explanations

were more effective than abstract logic, reinforcing Grinnell’s (2008) view that

emotion and intuition play key roles in public understanding. Building on Liu’s

(2009) call for lifelong science engagement and the work of Bauer et al. (1994) on

cultural influence, this paper expands the field by offering insights into how science

is perceived in a developing scientific community. It highlights the importance of

blending storytelling and scientific accuracy to foster curiosity, bridge knowledge

gaps, and improve science communication where formal education may be limited.