Americans Have Positive Views of Science, but Think International Standing Has Dropped

While a majority of Americans believe science has a positive effect on society, they have a less-positive view of the global standing of the United States in scientific achievements, according to a survey released today.

A report describing the survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, says that, a decade ago, 49 percent of the public believed scientific advancements were the biggest achievements being made in the United States. But today that number has dropped to 27 percent, with only 17 percent of the public rating the country’s achievements as the best in the world, compared with almost half of scientists who believe that to be true.

Although the public thought American scientists were behind their international colleagues, more than 70 percent said government spending on scientific research and engineering pay off in the long run, and a majority found government spending to be essential for progress in the field. Eighty-four percent of scientists said the government was their largest source of financial support.

“Whether or not the public thinks American science is the best in the world, the public has clearly said that it understands that having a top-flight scientific enterprise is positively correlated with the success of a country,” the association’s chief executive, Alan Leshner, said. “If you look around the world, those countries with strong scientific capacity and infrastructure are among the strongest countries in the world, and developing countries are investing more and more in science in order to accomplish those goals.”

To conduct the survey, the research center spoke with more than 2,500 members of the association and 2,001 members of the public. The report says that scientists are among the most admired professionals, behind only members of the military and teachers. Moreover, it says, that view prevails even among those who disagree with some aspects of science based on their religious beliefs.

Not surprisingly, more scientists believe in evolution and global warming than do the public. While polls of scientists show that 85 percent believe the public has a lack of scientific knowledge, more than three-quarters of scientists said it was generally a good time to be in their profession. —Marc Beja