Survey: Scientific Achievements Less Prominent Than a Decade Ago

Public praises scientists; scientists fault public, media.

A new report by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that overwhelming majorities of Americans believe that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people. The public - even those skeptical of some scientific conclusions on such topics as climate change and evolution - rates scientists highly and believes government investments in science pay off in the long term.

But the study, conducted in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), also finds that the public has a far less positive view of the global standing of U.S. science than do scientists themselves. As the 40th anniversary of the moon landing approaches, just 17% say U.S. scientific achievements rate as the best in the world, compared with nearly half (49%) of scientists who hold that view.

This broad-ranging report is based on three separate surveys. Key findings include:

Science Slips as Nation’s Greatest Achievement. Significantly fewer Americans volunteer scientific advances as one of the country’s most important achievements than did so a decade ago (27% today, 47% in May 1999). Then, 18% cited space exploration and the moon landing as the country’s top achievement in the 20th century; now, 12% see it as the greatest achievement in the past 50 years.

Public, Scientists Agree on Government Role in Funding Research. Fully 84% of scientists name government as a top source of research funding in their specialty. Large majorities of the public think that government investments in basic scientific research (73%) and engineering and technology (74%) pay off in the long run, and 60% says that government investment in research is essential for scientific progress. Majorities of both Democrats (80%) and Republicans (68%) say that government investments in basic science pay off in the long term.

But Substantial Gaps Exist on Evolution and Climate Change. Most notably, 87% of scientists - but just 32% of Americans in general - say that humans and other living things have evolved over time and that evolution is the result of natural processes such as natural selection. A large gap also exists on the issue of climate change; 84% of scientists - but just 49% of the public - say that the earth is getting warmer because of human activity.

Politics and Science. Majorities of both the public and the scientists say that it is appropriate for scientists to take part in political debates about issues such as nuclear power and stem cell research. But they differ in their views on many of these issues. Scientists are much more likely than the public to support the expansion of nuclear power, federal funding of stem cell research and the use of animals in research. One recent political controversy - charges that the Bush administration censored government scientists - was largely invisible to the public, as 54% said they heard nothing about it. On the other hand, most scientists (55%) say they had heard a lot about it, and 77% believe that the charges are true.

Scientists Highly Regarded, Even By Those Skeptical of Scientific Conclusions. Scientists are very highly rated compared with members of other professions; only members of the military and teachers are more likely to be viewed as contributing a lot to society’s well-being. More than two-thirds (67%) of those who say science conflicts with their religious beliefs still say that scientists contribute a lot to the well-being of society. A similar proportion (63%) of those who accept a creationist view on the origins of life say scientists have contributed a great deal to society, compared with 78% who accept the theory of evolution.

Scientists Fault Public, Media. Fully 85% of scientists see the public’s lack of scientific knowledge as a major problem for science, and about three-quarters (76%) say a major problem for science is that news reports fail to distinguish between findings that are well-founded and those that are not.

But Overall, Scientists Are Upbeat about the State of Their Profession. About three-quarters (76%) say this is generally a good time for science and nearly as many (73%) say it is good time for their scientific specialty. Despite the country’s economic problems, 67% say it is a good time to begin a career in their scientific field.

The Public’s “Science IQ.” Americans are knowledgeable about basic scientific facts that affect their health and their daily lives, but they are less able to answer questions about other science topics. For example, 91% know that aspirin is an over-the- counter drug recommended to prevent heart attacks - but fewer than half (46%) know that electrons are smaller than atoms. The report is accompanied by a web version of the quiz administered to the survey’s respondents.

AAAS Commentary

by Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Chief Executive Officer
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Executive Publisher, Science

Americans by and large admire scientists — only slightly less than members of the military or teachers, in fact. The U.S. public recognizes research and development, perhaps especially to drive medical advances, as an investment in the future. Yet, researchers and the public too often are separated by a communications gap. This disconnection results partly from the increasing intersection of science with issues that involve personal values and beliefs such as human embryonic stem cell research and evolution.

At the same time, though, a new survey from the Pew Research Center, conducted in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), shows that a large majority of scientists (85%) consider the public’s lack of scientific knowledge to be a major problem. A similar percentage of scientists (83%) characterize television news coverage of science as “only fair” or “poor,” with newspaper coverage receiving the same low ratings by a smaller majority of scientists (63%). Also, 21% of scientists identified public communication or education as a significant scientific failure of the past 20 years.

The good news is that opportunities abound for finding common ground on issues spanning science and society. Americans with a wide array of views, including scientists, clearly are united by the shared goal to improve human welfare by leveraging scientific advances. In the Pew Research survey of 2,533 AAAS members and 2,001 public respondents, a majority of both groups cited advances in medicine and life sciences as important achievements of science.

Nearly three-fourths of public participants recognized that federal investment in basic scientific research as well as engineering and technology promises long-term societal benefits. That view persists across partisan lines, with a majority of Republicans (68%) and Democrats (80%) saying that support for basic science pays off in the long run, with comparable percentages saying the same about investments in engineering and technology.

In addition, public respondents who say that science sometimes conflicts with their own religious beliefs (36%) are about equally likely (67%) as those who see no conflict (72%) to say that scientists contribute a great deal to society. Only 32% of the public said they think that humans and other living things have evolved over time due to natural processes such as natural selection. Public views about evolution have changed little over the past two decades.

Although the public scored reasonably well on basic science knowledge questions administered by the Pew Research Center, respondents did far worse on more complex science questions. Only slightly more than half of all public respondents (54%) knew that antibiotics do not kill viruses along with bacteria, and fewer (46%) understood that electrons are smaller than atoms. These findings are consistent with the results of previous surveys and education assessments. Improving U.S. science education is essential, but education alone will not address this problem.

As scientists we must resist the urge to wring our hands in defeat or recoil at evidence of the public’s lack of understanding about science. Encouragingly, the vast majority of scientists (87%) reported that they discuss science or research findings with non-scientists “often” or “occasionally.” The Pew Research survey suggests that scientists, while currently held in high esteem by most Americans, would be wise to extend a similar level of respect to the public.

Nearly half of all responding scientists (49%) said that U.S. scientific achievements rank first in the world. The scientist group may be failing to appreciate the full impact of the ethical, moral, political, and other perspectives with which the broader public filters scientific information. Just 17% of the public thinks that U.S. scientific achievements rate as the best in the world. Clearly, the public is somewhat less confident in America’s scientific prowess than scientists. Fewer Americans today (27%) offer scientific achievements as one of the country’s most important achievements than did so a decade ago (47%).

Now more than ever, as our society faces increasing challenges, from energy dependence to the threat of an influenza pandemic, the scientific community must contribute to respectful dialogue with the public. Engaging with the public on scientific issues, rather than lecturing to them, requires listening to their perspectives, encouraging mutual learning,1and finding new ways to leverage popular culture, new media, journalism, and civic channels to facilitate dialogue opportunities. One innovative example is the Science & Entertainment Exchange, a National Academy of Sciences program for matching technical experts and creative professionals.

Training for scientists interested in improving their public communication skills is offered through organizations including Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, Research!America’s Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, and AAAS.

In addition to being a good idea for promoting public engagement on science-based issues, these and other efforts to encourage interaction between scientists and society may increasingly be a requirement: On January 21, 2009, President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government and called for recommendations for making the Federal government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative.2 Now, new survey data suggest an urgent need to make science both more open and transparent. The Pew Research Center report and additional findings are available at http://www.people-press.org/report/528/.

1 “Many Experts, Many Audiences: Public Engagement with Science and Informal Science Education: A CAISE
Inquiry Group Report,” Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), Washington, D.C., March
2009.

2 White House Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment.

Survey Details. The main telephone survey was conducted with a sample of 2,001 adults April 28-May 12, 2009; a science knowledge survey was conducted June 18-21, 2009 with a sample of 1,005 adults. Both were conducted by landlines and cell phones. A survey of scientists was conducted online with a random sample of 2,533 members of the AAAS, the world’s largest scientific society, from May 1 to June 14, 2009.

Photo by Carlo Nicora. CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.

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