Table 7-5
Correct answers to scientific literacy questions, by sex: 2001, 2004, and 2006
(Percent)
 
Question    2001    2004    2006
 
Physical science            
The center of the Earth is very hot. (True)            
Male   85   86   85
Female   76   72   75
All radioactivity is man-made. (False)            
Male   81   82   77
Female   71   66   64
Lasers work by focusing sound waves. (False)            
Male   61   59   62
Female   30   28   32
Electrons are smaller than atoms. (True)            
Male   52   52   61
Female   43   39   48
The universe began with a huge explosion. (True)            
Male   43   41   40
Female   24   27   27
The continents have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move. (True)            
Male   83   85   85
Female   74   71   75
Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth? (Earth around Sun)
How long does it take for the Earth to go around the Sun? (One year)		            
Male   66   NAa   66
Female   42   NA   46
             
Biological science            
It is the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or a girl. (True)            
Male   58   51   55
Female   72   70   72
Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. (False)            
Male   46   49   50
Female   55   58   61
Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. (True)            
Male   57   45   47
Female   50   40   40
A doctor tells a couple that their genetic makeup means that they've got one in four chances of having
a child with an inherited illness. Does this mean that if their first child has the illness, the next three will not? (No)		            
Male   85   83   90
Female   83   81   84
A doctor tells a couple that their genetic makeup means that they've got one in four chances of having a
child with an inherited illness. Does this mean that each of the couple's children will have the same risk of
suffering from the illness? (Yes)		            
Male   76   76   76
Female   74   71   74
Two scientists want to know if a certain drug is effective against high blood pressure. The first scientist
wants to give the drug to 1,000 people with high blood pressure and see how many of them experience
lower blood pressure levels. The second scientist wants to give the drug to 500 people with high blood
pressure and not give the drug to another 500 people with high blood pressure, and see how many in
both groups experience lower blood pressure levels. Which is the better way to test this drug? Why is
it better to test the drug this way? (The second way because a control group is used for comparison) 		           
Male   39   49   42
Female   38   43   41
 

NA = not available

aNot asked in 2004, so composite percentage not computed.

SOURCES: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology (2001); University of Michigan, Survey of Consumer Attitudes (2004); and University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey (2006). See appendix tables 7-5 and 7-6.

Science and Engineering Indicators 2008
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