When Americans think about science, what do they have in mind?
65% of U.S. adults say science has had a mostly positive effect on society; 28% say it has had an equal mix of positive and negative effects.
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Most Americans say despite ongoing research, ways to limit spread of COVID-19 are well understood
70% of Americans say the core strategies for containing COVID-19 are well understood, even though studies have yielded conflicting advice.
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Views on why Black Americans face higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates vary by party, race and ethnicity
While the CDC has pointed to some possible factors that may be contributing to this pattern, the public is divided in its perceptions.
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Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research
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.
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Black U.S. adults follow many COVID-19 news topics more closely, discuss the outbreak more frequently
Black adults were much more likely than whites and somewhat more likely than Hispanic adults to frequently discuss the pandemic with others.
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Americans Who Rely Most on White House for COVID-19 News More Likely to Downplay the Pandemic
People in this group are most likely to say the outbreak has been made too big of a deal and journalists have been exaggerating the risks.
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Nearly three-in-ten Americans believe COVID-19 was made in a lab
While 43% of Americans say the new coronavirus most likely came about naturally, nearly three-in-ten say it most likely was created in a lab.
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Cable TV and COVID-19: How Americans perceive the outbreak and view media coverage differ by main news source
Responses to cable news coverage and the pandemic vary notably among Americans who identify Fox News, MSNBC or CNN as their main source of political news.
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What Americans Know About Science
Many Americans can answer at least some questions about science concepts. Science knowledge levels remain strongly tied to education; Republicans and Democrats are about equally knowledgeable.
