US public likes science; doesn’t agree with scientists - July 10, 2009
Science and scientists are pretty well respected by the American public, even as they disagree on specific issues like evolution, global warming, and use of animals in research.
So finds a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, together with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
84% of the 2,001 members of the public who were surveyed thought science had a mostly positive effect on society, while scientists came third behind members of the military and teachers in a chart of professions contributing “a lot” to society’s well-being.
Despite this general approval for science, just 32% of the public thought that humans had evolved due to natural processes (as opposed to 87% of the 2,500 AAAS members surveyed); just under half thought that earth was getting warmer because of human activity (84% of scientists) and 52% favoured the use of animals in scientific research (93% of scientists).
"I don't think this is hugely surprising. We've seen these kind of differences before," Chris Mooney (a journalist who's written a book called "Unscientific America") told USA Today. "But I think this is hugely important in telling people in science that maybe they need to reach out to the public better."
Indeed, 85% of AAAS members thought public ignorance of science was a major problem. Many of them also said the news media had done a poor job educating the public - though the survey did not give scientists the chance to comment on the quality of school science education (surely more important than the news media for influencing the basic science understanding of US citizens).
The survey didn't attempt to say whether such views have been held through the ages, nor how the US compares to other countries in its attitudes to science.
Comments
I am stumped by the result that only 84% of American scientists believe in evolution.
Posted by: Anthony Liekens | July 10, 2009 07:24 PM
I agree with Chris Mooney: scientists have a certain responsibility to promote science and get the public involved. If you don't know what you can do, take my example - a friend and I started a blog (Blue-Genes), with (among other things) an ongoing series of posts called "Why do we need to do animal experiments?" and another called "Understanding Cancer", both aimed at the public.
Posted by: Colin | July 11, 2009 01:13 PM
I, too, was surprised that only 84% of the AAAS believed that "humans had evolved due to natural processes." Perhaps the problem is that the question was either given or reported too crudely? There are many positions between literalist, 6000-yr-old-Earth creationism and purely materialistic evolutionism. Perhaps 16% of the AAAS did not want to say that humans are the result of natural processes _alone_.
Posted by: Earl Wajenberg | July 13, 2009 01:36 PM
Perhaps the 16% are mainly non-biologists.
Posted by: ian skidmore | July 14, 2009 03:31 PM
There are some people who believe in evolution but not as a complete solution. People have a right to feel uneasy about natural selection being solely responsible for advanced human characteristics like love and the ability to ponder the existence of God.
D J Wray
http://www.atotalawareness.com
Posted by: D J Wray | July 27, 2009 04:52 AM