What Americans know about science

What Americans know about science

People’s understanding of scientific processes and the way scientific knowledge accumulates may help them navigate ongoing debates over science connected with issues such as climate change, childhood vaccines and genetically modified foods. The survey includes two questions designed to tap understanding of scientific processes.

    Six-in-ten Americans (60%) identify adding a control group as the best of four options to test whether an ear infection medication is effective.
    52% correctly identify a reason for a computer slowing down as a scientific hypothesis.

One question, not included as part of the scale, asked survey respondents about their view of the scientific method. Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say the scientific method “produces findings that are meant to be continually tested and updated over time,” 15% say the method produces unchanging core principles and truths, and 17% say they are not sure.

These are among the findings from the new report, which is based on a nationally representative survey conducted Jan. 7 to 21, 2019, among 4,464 adults 18 years of age or older who live in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

Source: What Americans know about science