S&E Indicators 2006 - Chapter 7: Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding

Introduction

Chapter Overview
Chapter Organization
Data Comparability

Chapter Overview

Most Americans probably do not think about scientific research and technological development on a daily basis. Yet most recognize and appreciate the related benefits. Most Americans also strongly endorse the government's investment in research, whether or not it leads to tangible improvements in health and safety or the economy or to new technologies that make life easier or more enjoyable.

In fact, with few exceptions, science and technology (S&T) enjoy a positive reputation throughout the world. Most people believe that S&T play a key role in raising their standard of living and improving their quality of life. People around the world have been quick to embrace inventions that make living and working conditions better and businesses more profitable, including the latest advancements in communication technologies, such as the Internet, cellular telephones, and increasingly sophisticated types of entertainment delivery systems. Moreover, emerging fields such as nanotechnology seem to be receiving the public's endorsement.

Despite their favorable attitudes, most people do not know a lot about S&T. Many do not seem to have a firm understanding of basic scientific facts and concepts, knowledge that is necessary not only for an understanding of S&T-related issues but also for good citizenship. Even more worrisome is a lack of familiarity with the scientific process. Both scientists and public policymakers are concerned that the public's lack of knowledge about S&T may result in

Less government support for research [1]
Fewer young people choosing S&T careers
Greater public susceptibility to miracle cures, get-rich-quick schemes, and other scams (NIST 2002)

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Chapter Organization

This chapter examines aspects of the public's attitudes toward and understanding of S&T. In addition to data collected in surveys sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the chapter contains extensive information from studies and surveys undertaken by other organizations that track trends in media consumption and changes in public opinion on policy issues related to S&T. (See sidebar, "Data Sources.") One of these sources is an international project designed to measure attitudes toward various technologies in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Preliminary data from the United States and Canada (Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat 2005) are included in this chapter. In addition, for the first time, this chapter includes coverage of similar surveys conducted in Russia and several Asian countries.

The chapter is in three parts. The first part focuses on S&T-related information and interest. It begins with a section on sources of news and information, including a detailed look at the role of the Internet. It then examines several measures of public interest in S&T. (Level of interest indicates both the visibility of the science and engineering community's work and the relative importance accorded S&T by society.) The first part also briefly discusses the public's perception of how well informed it is about science-related issues.

The second part of the chapter covers knowledge of S&T. It explores three indicators of scientific literacy: familiarity with scientific terms and concepts, understanding of the scientific method, and belief in pseudoscience.

The third part examines public attitudes about science-related issues. It includes data on public opinion about S&T in general, support for federal funding of scientific research, views on environmental issues, and public confidence in the science community. It also presents information on how the public perceives the pros and cons of various technologies such as stem cell research, genetic engineering (including genetically modified foods), and the emerging field of nanotechnology.

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Data Comparability

The surveys that provided the data included in this chapter were sponsored and conducted by a variety of organizations, for different purposes, using different items in varying order and context. Therefore, their results are not directly comparable. This is particularly true for surveys done in other countries, where language and cultural differences add further complexities. (However, it should be noted that many items included in the NSF Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology were replicated-to the greatest extent possible-in all countries covered in this chapter.) Thus, the findings presented in this chapter summarize broad patterns and trends emerging from these diverse sources. Readers will find the specific sources identified throughout the chapter and additional information in the sidebar, "Data Sources."

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Data Sources

Data from the following surveys are included in this chapter:

Most recent year survey conducted	Sponsoring organization	Title*	Information used in the chapter	Type of survey	Number surveyed and standard error of estimates
2001	National Science Foundation	Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology	Various knowledge and attitude items, including public support for basic research, belief in pseudoscience, and interest in science and technology	RDD	n=1,574 ± 2.47%
2004	National Science Foundation	Michigan Survey of Consumer Attitudes	A subset of items collected in the 2001 NSF survey	RDD	n=2,025 ± 2.49%
2005	European Commission	Eurobarometer 224/Wave 63.1: Europeans, Science and Technology; Eurobarometer 225/Wave 63.1: Social Values, Science and Technology	Various knowledge and attitude items, including public support for basic research and trust in scientists	Face-to-face interviews Multistage, random sampling	n=24,895 ± 1.9%–± 3.1%
2005	Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat	Canada-U.S. Survey on Biotechnology	Attitudes toward technology, including biotechnology and nanotechnology	RDD	Canada: n=2,000 ± 2.19%; United States n=1,200 ± 2.81%
2003	British Council, Russia	Russian Public Opinion of the Knowledge Economy	Various knowledge and attitude items	Paper questionnaires	n=2,107
2001	Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology	China Science and Technology Indicators	Various knowledge and attitude items	National in scope	n=8,350
2004	Food Policy Institute Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey	Americans and GM Food	Attitudes toward genetically modified food and mad cow disease	RDD	n=1,201 ± 3.0%
2005	The Gallup Organization	Various ongoing surveys	Public attitudes toward the environment, cloning, space exploration, belief in pseudoscience, and Internet use in China	RDD	n=1,000–1,100 ± 3.0%
2002	Harris Interactive	The Harris Poll	Prestige of various occupations, Internet use, and attitudes toward genetically modified food	RDD	n=2,415 ± 2.0%
2001	Japan National Institute of Science and Technology Policy	The 2001 Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science & Technology in Japan	Various knowledge and attitude items	Face-to-face interviews Two-stage stratified random sampling	n=2,146
2004	Korea Science Foundation	Survey on Public Attitude of Science and Technology	Various knowledge and attitude items	Face-to-face interviews National, three-stage stratified random sampling	n=1,007 ± 3.1%
2000	Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre	Public Awareness of Science and Technology	Various knowledge and attitude items	Face-to-face interviews Two stage sampling	n=5,000
2004	North Carolina State University	Public Perceptions About Nanotechnology	Attitudes toward nanotechnology	RDD	n=1,536 ± 2.5%
2004	Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology	Various ongoing surveys	Public attitudes toward food biotechnology	RDD	n=1,000 ± 3.1%
2004	Pew Research Center for the People and the Press	Various ongoing surveys	Media consumption and public attitudes toward technology	RDD	n=3,000 ± 3.0%
2005	Research!America	Various ongoing surveys	Public attitudes toward funding health and scientific research	RDD	n=800–1,000 ± 3.5%
2004	National Opinion Research Center	General Social Survey	Public confidence in various institutions and government funding of programs	Face-to-face interviews	n=877 ± 0.05%
2004	USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future	Surveying the Digital Future	Public attitudes toward the Internet and Internet use	RDD	n=2,009
2002	Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Public Policy	VCU Life Sciences Survey	Public attitudes toward scientific progress and moral values, stem cell research, and genetic testing	RDD	n=1,004 ± 3.0%

*For ongoing surveys, most recent year is shown.
RDD = random dialing computer-assisted interview survey. All RDD surveys listed above are national in scope.

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Footnotes

[1] A recent unpublished analysis of the results of nearly 200 surveys conducted in 40 countries between 1988 and 2003 concluded that, other things being equal, the more people know about science, the more likely they are to have favorable attitudes toward it (Allum et al. 2005).