Publications

presentationFeb 17, 2015

How Scientists Engage the Public and Why It Matters

At the AAAS 2015 Annual Meeting, Lee Rainie discussed new findings about how scientists use a variety of methods to bring their work to the general public.
reportFeb 15, 2015

Appendix: About the AAAS Scientists Survey

The survey of scientists was conducted online with a random sample of 3,748 U.S.-based members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from Sept. 11 to Oct. 13, 2014. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society, and includes members from all scientific fields. Founded in 1848, AAAS publishes Science, one of […]
reportFeb 15, 2015

How Scientists Engage

Scientists have broad involvement with non-expert citizens and some of the connections are forged through social media and blogs. Nearly all AAAS scientists (98%) have some level of interaction with the general public at least from time to time, and 51% have some contact with reporters about research findings. In addition, nearly half of AAAS […]
reportFeb 15, 2015

Scientists’ Views: Most Approve of Active Role in Public Debates About Science and Technology

American scientists see themselves as facing a challenging environment and are trying to respond to it. As we detailed in our recent report, scientists, while still largely positive about the state of the field, are less upbeat than they were five years ago. Moreover, most scientists believe that policy regulations related to land use and […]
reportFeb 15, 2015

How Scientists Engage the Public

Most scientists (87%) believe it is important to participate in public policy debates. Almost half use social media to discuss or follow science, and nearly a quarter blog about science and research.
reportFeb 15, 2015

How Scientists Engage the Public

Most scientists (87%) believe it is important to participate in public policy debates. Almost half use social media to discuss or follow science, and nearly a quarter blog about science and research.
short readsFeb 13, 2015

From telegrams to Instagram, a look at presidents and technology

President Obama’s recent interviews with Buzzfeed and Vox, and his embrace of online news and social media more generally, stands in a long tradition of presidents employing novel communications technologies to speak to Americans directly.
reportFeb 12, 2015

How Different Groups Think about Scientific Issues

Different demographic groups think differently about scientific issues. For example, those more likely to think genetically modified food is unsafe include women, African-Americans and Hispanics, and those without college degrees. Those more likely to say parents should be able to decide whether to vaccinate their children include younger adults, Republicans and independents.
reportFeb 12, 2015

How Different Groups Think about Scientific Issues

Different demographic groups think differently about scientific issues. For example, those more likely to think genetically modified food is unsafe include women, African-Americans and Hispanics, and those without college degrees. Those more likely to say parents should be able to decide whether to vaccinate their children include younger adults, Republicans and independents.
short readsFeb 10, 2015

More openings and hires give Americans reason for greater job optimism

As openings and new hires hit levels not seen in years, more Americans say they’re hearing mostly good news about the jobs situation.