In 2006, China’s State Council issued its first National Science Literacy Action Plan. Increasing citizen scientific literacy has since been a political target. Progress on that path is measured through regular national surveys, and publicized in the form of a composite index, the proportion of citizens possessing scientific literacy. The quantification of scientific literacy is, in turn, linked to a host of collective practices, from informing education reforms to guiding science popularization. From the first surveys conducted in the 1990s to now, the dimensionalization of “citizen scientific literacy,” the system of indicators to operationalize it as well as concrete survey items have undergone changes, reflecting political priorities and academic discussions. My paper addresses these developments. Specifically, I will be looking at political action plans, published survey data, and academic discussions to analyze how the concept of citizen scientific literacy has been defined, operationalized and measured from the 1990s to the present day and investigate the rationale behind these transformations. I argue that the evolution of the concept and its measurement reflects changing conceptualizations within China about the country’s scientific needs and what constitutes desirable citizenship. The paper thus contributes to our understanding of the quantification of scientific literacy in China and its relationship to the politics of expectation surrounding China’s scientific rise.