Americans prioritize being a world leader in scientific achievements more than other global publics
Nearly seven-in-ten Americans think it is very important for the United States to be a world leader in scientific achievements.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Nearly seven-in-ten Americans think it is very important for the United States to be a world leader in scientific achievements.
44% of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the scientific community, while 47% have only some confidence and 7% have hardly any.
There’s a 14-point gap between the shares of White and Black adults in the U.S. who say they have a great deal of confidence in scientists.
One-in-ten U.S. adults say they have taken part in citizen science in the past year, and 26% say they have ever done so.
Republicans ages 18 to 39 are more likely than their GOP elders to think humans have a large role in climate change.
Americans’ expectations for the year ahead include an effective treatment or cure for COVID-19, as well as a vaccine to prevent the disease.
A majority of U.S. adults say they are taking at least some specific action in their daily lives to protect the environment, though Democrats and Republicans remain at ideological odds over the causes of climate change and the effects of policies to address it.
Most Democrats think scientists should take an active role in policy debates, while 56% of Republicans say they should focus on establishing sound scientific facts.
America’s confidence in the scientific community appears to be relatively strong. But the degree of public trust in scientists across climate, food and medical issues varies, and many express moderate rather than strongly positive views.
As public debates continue over a range of science-related topics, including climate change and the safety of eating genetically modified (GM) foods, Americans are largely skeptical about the degree to which scientists understand these two issues, whether there is scientific consensus on them, and the influences on scientists’ research. Recent Pew Research Center studies have […]
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