2015

reportSep 10, 2015

Other Demographic Patterns in Science Knowledge

People’s science knowledge sometimes varies by age, race and ethnicity, though the patterns are far from uniform across this set of 12 questions in the new Pew Research survey. On some questions, younger adults tend to know more than their elders (such as which kind of waves underlie cellphone calls). But that pattern is reversed […]
reportSep 10, 2015

Gender Gaps Evident on Topics in the Physical Sciences

Men tend to answer more of these science knowledge questions correctly than do women, the new Pew Research Center survey found. Men score an average of 8.6 out of 12 correct answers, compared with women’s 7.3 correct answers. Some 24% of women answer 10 or more questions correctly, compared with 43% of men who did […]
reportSep 10, 2015

Science Knowledge Is Higher Among Highly Educated Adults

In the new Pew Research Center survey, more-educated Americans generally score better overall in answering science-related questions than those who have a high school degree or less. And those with a college degree or higher tend to perform better on the toughest questions. Adults with a college or postgraduate degree are more than twice as […]
reportSep 10, 2015

What Americans Know About Science, Question by Question

Among the science questions in the new Pew Research Center survey that were easiest for most to answer correctly: 86% identify the Earth’s inner layer, called the core, as its hottest part.[9. numoffset=”9″ This question was adapted with permission from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) grade 8 science assessment items in […]
reportSep 10, 2015

A Look at What the Public Knows and Does Not Know About Science

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that most Americans can answer basic questions about several scientific terms and concepts, such as the layers of the Earth and the elements needed to make nuclear energy.
short readsSep 10, 2015

How the geography of U.S. poverty has shifted since 1960

The South continues to be home to many of America’s poor, though to a lesser degree than a half-century ago. In 1960, half (49%) of impoverished Americans lived in the South. By 2010, that share had dropped to 41%.
reportSep 9, 2015

Americans’ Concerns about China: Economics, Cyberattacks, Human Rights Top the List

Americans see a number of economic threats from China, but they are also worried about cyberattacks, Bejing’s human rights record, China’s impact on the environment and its growing military strength.
short readsSep 9, 2015

Relatively few U.S. Catholics skipped annulment because of cost or complications

Pope Francis has announced major changes to the Roman Catholic Church’s procedures for marriage annulments. While the new changes are aimed at making annulments faster and less expensive, a recent Pew Research survey found that most divorced U.S. Catholics who did not seek annulments did not cite the complicated nature of the process as a reason.
reportSep 8, 2015

Support for Iran Nuclear Agreement Falls

Survey Report As Congress prepares to vote on the Iran nuclear agreement, public support for the deal has declined. Currently, just 21% approve of the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program reached between the United States, Iran and other nations. Nearly half (49%) disapprove of the agreement, while three-in-ten (30%) offer no opinion. In mid-July, a […]
press releaseSep 8, 2015

Pew Research Center Mourns the Loss of Andrew Kohut

Andrew Kohut was the founding director of Pew Research Center. He served as the center’s president from 2004 until he stepped down in 2012, and directed the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press from 1993 to 2012.