On July 9, the Pew Research Center released the results of a survey conducted in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science on how scientists and citizens currently view science in the U.S. The survey of over 2000 non-scientists and over 2000 scientists shows what you might expect – there are some areas where citizens and scientists agree, and some where there are differences of opinions. The survey also includes a “Science Quiz” (follow the link to take the quiz) that was used to gauge non-scientists science knowledge.

I’m not going to try and analyze the results, since that’s been done (duh!), but if you’re interested in knowing what parts I thought were most interesting, look below the fold. If not, at least go take the quiz. I feel good that I scored in the 90th percentile (whew, guess I get to keep my “science badge”).

One of the first things that struck me was how much of the survey seemed to be about “American” science (for a sweet, if somewhat offensive, video about America, go here). Sorry, but I don’t think of “American” science. Science is science – it isn’t owned by any country, and nationalistic feelings towards it seem silly to me. Of course, a lot of science is done in this country, and has been responsible for much of our economic growth. So continuing to do science here is important. Fortunately, according to the survey, Americans

Americans like science. Overwhelming majorities say that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people. Most also say that government investments in science, as well as engineering and technology, pay off in the long run.

The survey results indicate this is true across party lines, and even for people who feel that science sometimes conflicts with their religious beliefs. I think this is a good thing, and to me, the most important area for which there should be agreement. Especially since the vast majority of funding for basic research comes from the government.

Now, there are of course, many areas where scientists and the public disagree. One is the “American science” part and how it is viewed. I’m not sure what the results imply, or even if they’re important. Some others that struck me follow:

40% of scientists agree that “when something is run by the government, it is usually inefficient and wasteful”; a majority of the public (57%) agrees with this statement.

“business corporations generally strike a fair balance between making profits and serving the public interest” (20% of scientists vs. 37% of public).

87% of scientists say that humans and other living things have evolved over time and that evolution is the result of natural processes such as natural selection. Just 32% of the public accepts this as true.

84% of scientists say the earth is getting warmer because of human activity such as burning fossil fuels, just 49% of the public agrees.

The first one is interesting, and I would tend to agree, at least based on my experience with the NSF and the FAA. NSF especially seems to be well run (I’d like them even more if they’d give me $$ though). The second, on the ability of business to strike a balance between profits and public interest doesn’t seem like a huge difference of opinion (I haven’t found what the uncertainty in the survey results are – frustrating for a survey on science…). To me, it is telling that neither group surveyed agree that business can do this.

The last two are probably not surprising. And this is where we scientists need to do a better job communicating with the public. If over 80% of scientists surveyed agree that life has evolved over time, and that man has contributed to increased temperatures across the globe, I’d have to be influenced by that if I was a non-scientist.

Finally, the results of the science knowledge quiz are interesting. First off, did you take it? If not, take it:

Previous Pew Research Center knowledge surveys have shown that young people are poorly informed about current events and politics. But this is not the case with science knowledge. In fact, those younger than age 30 get higher scores on the knowledge test than do those ages 65 and older. Still, the best-informed people about science, according to the results of this quiz, are those ages 30 to 49.

That, to me, seems good. My favorite questions are about the size of the electron (they are smaller than atoms, which only 46% of the public answered correctly – but this was dragged down by respondents with High School or less education (30% correct), adults aged 50 – 64 (45%) and adults over 65 (30%)), and the one about lasers (47% answered correctly, across the board poor performance except for college graduates, 66% of whom answered correctly).