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Science and
Technology: Public Attitudes and
Understanding |
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Highlights |
- Although Americans express strong support for science and
technology (S&T), they are not very well informed about these
subjects. Many in the scientific community are concerned that
lack of knowledge about S&T may adversely affect the level
of government support for research, the number of young people
choosing S&T careers, and the public's resistance to miracle
cures, get-rich-quick schemes, and other scams. (More...)
Information Sources
- Most adults pick up information about S&T primarily
from watching television; the print media are a distant second.
This is true in both the United States and Europe. Several
types of television shows play a role in communicating science
to the public, including educational and nonfiction programs,
newscasts and newsmagazines, and even entertainment programs.
However, television (and other media) can be faulted for miscommunicating
science to the public by sometimes failing to distinguish between
fantasy and reality and by failing to cite scientific evidence
when it is needed. (More...)
- The Internet is having a major impact on how the public gets
information about S&T. According to the 2001 National
Science Foundation (NSF) survey, the Internet is the preferred
source when people are seeking information about specific scientific
issues, an indication that encyclopedias and other reference tools
have lost a substantial number of customers to the Internet. (More...)
- Books about science influence popular culture and public
debate on policy issues. Beginning in the late 1970s, science-related
books began to win more Pulitzer Prizes and appear more often
on bestseller lists. Books by the late Carl Sagan achieved publishing
milestones that indicate a growing interest in science among the
book-reading public. (More...)
- S&T museums are much more popular in the United
States than in Europe. Americans were
nearly three times as likely as Europeans to have visited an S&T
museum within the past year. (More...)
Public Interest in S&T
- Evidence about the public's interest in S&T is mixed.
Surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People
and the Press found that S&T ranked only 9th of
13 categories of news followed most closely by the public in 2002.
Yet science/health and technology ranked second and fourth, respectively,
as categories of news sought online. The data also indicate that
interest in S&T news seems to have declined between 1996 and
2002, along with interest in most subjects. The popularity of
science museums and books suggests that people are interested
in science even though they may not be following science-related
news. (More...)
- Very few Americans admit to not being interested in S&T
issues. Only about 10 percent of surveyed Americans said they
were not interested in news about scientific discoveries or new
inventions and technologies. In Europe, however, half of surveyed
residents said they were not interested in S&T. (More...)
Public Knowledge
About S&T
- Neither Americans nor Europeans got high marks in
a 2001 quiz designed to measure their knowledge of science. Out
of 13 questions, Americans answered an average of 8.2 correctly,
Europeans 7.8. (More...)
- Science knowledge in the United States and
Europe is not improving. Respondents' ability
to answer most questions about science has remained essentially
unchanged since the 1990s, with one exception: more people now
know that antibiotics do not kill viruses. This may be attributable
to media coverage of drug-resistant bacteria, an important public
health issue. (More...)
- More Americans now agree with the theory of evolution. The
2001 NSF survey marked the first time that more than half (53
percent) of Americans answered "true" in response to the
statement "human beings, as we know them today, developed
from earlier species of animals." (In Europe, 69 percent responded
"true.") Whether and how the theory of evolution is taught
in public schools remains one of the most contentious issues in
U.S. science education. (More...)
- Most Americans (two-thirds in the 2001 NSF survey) do not
clearly understand the scientific process. Knowing how ideas
are investigated and analyzeda sure sign of scientific
literacyis important. Critical thinking skills are invaluable
not only in science but also in making wise and well-informed
choices as citizens and consumers. (More...)
- Studies seem to indicate that not many Americans are "technologically
literate." In addition, the public's understanding of technology
lags behind its professed interest in the subject. (More...)
- Belief in various forms of pseudoscience is common in both
the United States and Europe. For
example, 60 percent of surveyed Americans said they believe in
extrasensory perception, and 41 percent thought that astrology
is at least somewhat scientific. More than half of surveyed Europeans
said they believe in astrology. Because society is heavily dependent
on S&T, scientists are concerned about the persistence of
beliefs that run contrary to scientific evidence. (More...)
- A recent poll of scientists found that 42 percent engaged
in no public outreach. Asked why, 76 percent said they did
not have time, 28 percent did not want to, and 17 percent did
not care. Only 12 percent of the surveyed scientists said they
were engaged in political outreach, and 20 percent were in contact
with the media. (More...)
Public Attitudes
About Science-Related Issues
- Americans generally have highly favorable attitudes regarding
S&T. Attitudes are more positive in the United States
than in Europe. For example, in 2001, 72 percent of Americans,
compared with 50 percent of Europeans, agreed that the benefits
of scientific research outweigh any harmful results. (More...)
- All indicators point to widespread support for government
funding of basic research. In 2001, 81 percent of NSF survey
respondents agreed with the following statement: "Even if it brings
no immediate benefits, scientific research that advances the frontiers
of knowledge is necessary and should be supported by the Federal
Government." In Europe, 75 percent of those surveyed agreed with
the statement. (More...)
- Optimism about biotechnology actually increased in Europe
between 1999 and 2002. A similar trend occurred in the United
States during the same period. However, antibiotechnology sentiments
remain more common in Europe than in the United States. (More...)
- Technologies based on genetic engineering are controversial.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose human cloning but are more
divided on the subject of medical research that uses stem cells
from human embryos. Support for the latter has fluctuated, but
in 2003, 47 percent of the public expressed support for stem cell
research, and 44 percent were opposed. (More...)
- Americans continue to express confidence in the science community.
In addition, the events of September 11, 2001, seemed to affect
the ranking of institutions based on public confidence, giving
rise to a surge in ratings for the military and the executive
branch of the Federal Government. (More...)
- The public seems to recognize that S&T play a role in
combating terrorism. In one survey, about 90 percent of respondents
said that scientific research is either extremely or very important
to prepare for and respond to threats of bioterrorism, and more
than 80 percent strongly or somewhat supported increased funding
for such research. (More...)
- Attitudes toward environmental protection have been shifting
in recent years, according to a Gallup survey. In
2003, 47 percent of those surveyed chose the statement "protection
of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk
of curbing economic growth," compared with 42 percent who chose
its alternative, "economic growth should be given priority, even
if the environment suffers to some extent." However, the percentage
choosing the former has been declining since 2000, and the percentage
choosing the latter has been increasing. (More...)
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