Brian Kennedy

Majorities of Americans see at least some risk from food produced using hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or artificial ingredients; half the public says that foods with genetically modified ingredients are worse for one's health than foods without.

Many Americans say government investments in medical research, engineering and technology or basic scientific research usually pay off in the long run.

Most Americans are confident that private space companies will make meaningful contributions in developing safe and reliable spacecraft or conducting research to expand space knowledge.

About four-in-ten Americans (42%) say they would definitely or probably be interested in orbiting the Earth in a spacecraft in the future, while roughly six-in-ten (58%) say they would not be interested.

When Americans are asked why more students don’t pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), they are most likely to point to the difficulty of these subjects, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. About half of adults (52%) say the main reason young people don’t pursue STEM degrees is they think these subjects are too hard.

Still, white evangelical Protestants and religious "nones" are somewhat less likely than members of other religious groups to support a vaccine requirement.

While most Americans support requiring childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, parents of young children rate the risks of the vaccine higher and the benefits lower.

Support for focusing on alternative energy development (is up slightly since December 2014, but wide political differences remain.

Many Americans are distrustful of information provided by the food industry on GM foods, and those who are concerned about GM food issues are especially skeptical.

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 […]