The responsibility to bring about a strengthened role for applied science rests on researchers, journalists, politicians, as well as lay people. There should be a higher level of knowledge among lay people regarding how research functions, what the limits are, and what constitutes reliable research results. Research knowledge should be established in elementary and high schools. Basic research concepts such as bias, selection of participants, comparability of groups, true representation of groups, statistical power, and statistical significance should be introduced. Constructive and critical attitudes should be fostered. Discernment should be taught on a societal level, distinguishing between egocentered versus collective rationales for making individual decisions (for instance, regarding vaccination).