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short readsSep 15, 2015

The race gap in science knowledge

When asked a series of 12 science-related questions, whites, on average, fared better than blacks or Hispanics. What’s behind this knowledge gap?
short readsSep 14, 2015

Does water’s boiling point change with altitude? Americans aren’t sure

Only 34% of Americans correctly answered a question about the difference (if any) between boiling water in Los Angeles and Denver. So what’s the right answer, and why?
reportSep 10, 2015

Comparison of Science Knowledge Questions Across Pew Research Center Surveys

The set of 12 questions from the new Pew Research Center survey is, of course, only a small fraction of the possible topics and approaches to measuring public knowledge and understanding about science. In this section, we show the 12 questions from the new survey alongside other science knowledge questions asked across a handful of […]
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.
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.
reportApr 22, 2013

Public’s Knowledge of Science and Technology

Report About eight-in-ten Americans (83%) identify ultraviolet as the type of radiation that sunscreen protects against. Nearly as many (77%) know that the main concern about the overuse of antibiotics is that it can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, only about half (51%) of the public knows that “fracking” is a process that extracts natural […]