How to Communicate About Quantum Technology — Science-Backed Tips For Talking Quantum

Insider Brief

• Research shows that most people know little about quantum technology, making clear, balanced communication essential for informed public engagement and democratic decision-making.
• Explanations of quantum concepts improve actual understanding even when they reduce people’s confidence, while framing quantum as “mysterious” or relying on metaphors has no measurable effect on engagement or comprehension.
• The media should broaden coverage beyond quantum computing to nearer-term applications such as quantum communication and sensing, as well as address risks alongside benefits to avoid public misunderstanding.
• Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Quantum technology is often described as revolutionary, transformative, or even world-changing. Those claims may well prove accurate. But there is a problem hiding in plain sight: most people do not know what quantum technology is, what it does, or why it matters to them. Research by Leiden University PhD candidate Aletta Meinsma shows that roughly two out of three people have heard little or nothing about quantum technology at all.

Over the coming decades, quantum technologies could influence medicine, materials science, logistics, navigation, cybersecurity and communications. They also raise social and political questions, from data security to state power and surveillance. If the public is not meaningfully informed, democratic participation in decisions about how quantum technologies are deployed becomes difficult, if not impossible.

Meinsma’s work offers evidence-based look at how people actually respond to different ways of communicating about quantum — and her findings may challenge several common assumptions.

Here are a few of Meinsma’s findings:

Start With Why Public Engagement Matters

Effective communication about quantum is not just a matter of education; it is a matter of legitimacy.

Meinsma suggests that citizens must be involved early if societies want durable public support for quantum research and deployment. Understanding does not require technical mastery, but it does require a basic grasp of what quantum technologies are, what they can realistically do and what risks they may introduce.

Without that baseline, public debate is reduced to hype, fear, or indifference — none of which are good foundations for long-term policy, she said.

Explain the Weird — But Don’t Oversell It

Quantum physics describes how nature behaves at extremely small scales, such as atoms and electrons. At that level, familiar rules break down. Particles seem to exist in multiple states at once until measured and some can remain correlated across distance through entanglement.

These principles underpin quantum technologies, including quantum computers, sensors and communication systems. Quantum computers, for example, are well suited to problems like molecular simulations or optimization tasks that overwhelm classical machines.

One of Meinsma’s key findings is that explanations help — even when they leave people feeling less confident.

Participants who received no explanation often felt like they understood quantum better. Those who received explanations felt less certain. Yet when tested, the explained group consistently demonstrated better actual understanding. The explanation made people more aware of the complexity — and that awareness reduced false confidence.

The ‘Mysterious’ Frame Isn’t a Silver Bullet

Media coverage frequently frames quantum as “mysterious,” “enigmatic,” or “spooky.” Meinsma found this framing in about a quarter of the articles and videos she analyzed, often introduced by experts themselves, perhaps as a way to normalize confusion.

Surprisingly, this framing had no clear positive or negative effect on either engagement or understanding. It neither helped nor harmed.

Similarly, metaphors — long assumed to be essential for explaining quantum — did not measurably improve comprehension or engagement in her studies.

Broaden the Story Beyond Quantum Computing

One of the practical recommendations for the quantum community is to widen the narrative lens. Public communication overwhelmingly focuses on quantum computing, even though large-scale, fault-tolerant machines could still be years away.

Quantum communication and quantum sensing, on the other hand, are already moving into real-world use. Secure communication links, ultra-precise timing, navigation and measurement technologies are likely to affect daily life much sooner.

Talk About Risks

Another imbalance Meinsma identified is the tendency to emphasize benefits while downplaying risks.

That omission could backfire, according to the researcher. For example, quantum communication could enable secure channels that governments cannot intercept. In some scenarios, that could weaken law enforcement or state oversight.

Ignoring these possibilities does not make them go away. Addressing them openly allows society to anticipate trade-offs rather than react to them later.