2022年科学与工程指标报告

NationalScienceBoard|Science&EngineeringIndicators|NSB-2022-7

PAGE

10

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary

5

Introduction

7

PublicPerceptionsofScienceandTechnology

8

GeneralPerceptionsofS&T

8

PerceptionsofScientists

11

PerceptionsofEngineersandEngineering

13

PerceptionsofSpecificS&TIssues

14

PublicFamiliaritywithScienceandTechnologyResearchProcesses

22

InformationSourcesandInvolvement

27

SourcesofInformationaboutScience

27

EngagementwithScienceActivities

31

Conclusion

36

Glossary

37

Definitions

37

KeytoAcronymsandAbbreviations

37

References

38

Notes

43

AcknowledgmentsandCitation

44

Acknowledgments

44

Citation

44

ContactUs 45

ReportAuthors 45

NCSES 45

ListofSidebars

U.S.PublicPerceptionsofCOVID-19Research

15

ListofTables

PPS-1

Confidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic,bydemographiccharacteristics:2020

13

PPS-2

Americans'understandingofthescientificmethod:2020

24

PPS-3

Confidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic,byperceptionofthescientificmethod:2020

25

PPS-4

Confidenceinmedicalscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic,byperceptionofthescientificmethod:2020

26

PPS-5

Participationinscienceactivitiesinthepast12months,byfamilyincomeandeducation:2020

33

PPS-A

COVID-19vaccinationstatusandintenttogetaCOVID-19vaccine,HouseholdPulseSurvey:January2021andSeptember2021

18

ListofFigures

PPS-1

Publicassessmentofbenefitsandharmsofscientificresearch:Selectedyears,1979–2018

8

PPS-2

U.S.adultswhoagreethatsciencemakesourwayoflifechangetoofast,thatscienceprovidesmoreopportunitiesforthenextgeneration,andthatthefederalgovernmentshouldfundbasicscientificresearch:Selectedyears,1992–2018

9

PPS-3

Trustinscience,bycountry:2018

10

PPS-4

Publicperceptionofscientists:Selectedyears,1985–2018

11

PPS-5

Perceivedknowledgeaboutscience,bycountry:2018

23

PPS-6

Triedtogetinformationaboutscienceinthepast30days,bycountry:2018

28

PPS-7

Triedtogetinformationaboutmedicine,disease,orhealthinthepast30days,bycountry:2018

29

PPS-8

HowoftenU.S.adultsthoughtabouttheimpactofscienceontheireverydaylives,beforeandduringtheCOVID-19pandemic:2019and2020

30

PPS-9

Participationinscienceactivitiesinthepast12months:2020

32

PPS-10

Helpedachildwithascienceprojectinthepast12months,byfamilyincomeandeducation:2020

34

PPS-A

Respondentswhocorrectlyansweredfactualknowledgequestionaboutwhetherantibioticskillviruses:

Selectedyears,1988–2018

16

PPS-B

AmongthosewhohavenotreceivedaCOVID-19vaccine,reasonsforintendingnottogetavaccine:January2021andSeptember2021

19

ExecutiveSummary

Keytakeaways:

Publicconfidenceinscienceandscientistsremainshigh,withthemajorityofAmericanadultsreportingpositiveassessmentsofscienceandscientists.

AhigherpercentageofAmericanadultshadgreatconfidenceinbothmedicalscientists(e.g.,sciencepractitionerssuchasphysicians)andscientistsgenerallyin2020thantheydidin2016;24%reporteda“greatdeal”ofconfidenceinmedicalscientistsin2016,and43%ofrespondentsreportedsuchconfidencein2020,withanincreasefrom21%to39%forscientistsgenerally.

ThemajorityofAmericanadultsreportabasicunderstandingofscientificresearchprinciplessuchastheusefulnessofastudycontrolgroupforcomparisonwithatreatmentgroup.Atthesametime,thosewhodemonstrategreaterunderstandingofscientificlogictendtoexpressmoretrustinscientiststoactinthebestinterestofsocietythanthosewhoexpresslessunderstanding.

Americanadultsreportseekinginformationonsciencemorethantheircounterpartsinmostothercountrieswithsimilarlyhighlevelsofresearchanddevelopmentspending.In2018,themajorityofAmericanadultshadrecentlysoughtinformationaboutmedicineordisease.

OnlyaminorityofAmericanadultsreportanyrecentexperiencewithvariousscienceactivities,suchasmakingobservationsforaresearchproject(7%)orparticipatinginanonlinecrowdsourcingactivityrelatedtodatacollectionforscience(3%).

Householdswithgreaterparenteducationalattainmentorincomereportmoreexposuretosciencethroughchildren’s

activities,suchasschoolprojects,thandohouseholdswithlowereducationalattainmentorincome.

Thisthematicreportpresentsindicatorsofpublicperceptionsofscienceandtechnology(S&T),publicfamiliaritywithscienceresearchprocesses,andAmericanadults’exposuretosourcesofscienceinformationaswellastheirinvolvementinscientificactivities.Americanadultsincludepeopleatleast18yearsoldwholiveinaU.S.household.ManyofthedatapresentedinthisreportwerecollectedpriortotheCOVID-19pandemic,althoughsomedatareflectperceptionsmeasuredduringthepandemic.

ResearchershavemeasuredAmericans’understandingofS&Tfordecadesandhavenotedapatternofpositiveperceptionsaboutscienceandscientistsovertime.Thisreportdescribesthatpatternandconsidershowthoseperceptionsvarybetweenpeoplewithdifferentcharacteristics.Thereportalsodescribesthestateofresearchonpublicunderstandingofspecificscienceandengineeringtopics(suchasclimatechangescience)andperceptionsofcertaintypesofS&Tprofessionals(suchasengineers).

Howcommunicationprofessionalspresentscientificdevelopmentscanshapepublicreactions;descriptionsofhowscientistsconductresearchcanimproveordiscouragepublicacceptanceofinformationresultingfromthatresearch.Thisreportdescribesevidenceonpublicreactiontoclinicaltrials,forexample,whichsuggeststhatannouncinginadvancethatanevidencebasewilldevelopovertimeandthatconclusionsaboutoutcomesmightchangeovertimecanlessennegativepublicreactiontolaternewsaboutchangesinscientificconclusions.

ThereportalsodescribeswaysinwhichpublicperceptionsofS&TmayhaveshiftedwithrecentdevelopmentssuchastheCOVID-19pandemic,theadventofnewtechnologies,andmediacoverageofenvironmentalnews.Forexample,ahigherpercentageofAmericanadultsexpressedconfidenceinscientistsinNovember2020,followingtheonsetoftheCOVID-19pandemic,thanin2016.RecentliteraturealsodescribeshowchangesinpublicperceptionsofS&Tcanoccuraspeople’sexperiencewithS&Tchanges;forexample,personalexperiencewithautomatedtechnologyandartificialintelligencecanpositivelyaffecttrustperceptionsovertime.

ThisthematicreportconcludeswithadescriptionofAmericans’exposuretoscienceinformationaswellastheirparticipationinscienceactivities.MostAmericanadultsreportnotrecentlyparticipatinginascienceactivity,suchasmakingobservationsforascienceresearchprojectorparticipatinginanonlinecrowdsourcingactivitytoidentifyanimals.Moreover,participationinscienceactivitiesvariesbydemographics,withthosehouseholdswithgreaterparenteducationalattainmentorincomereportingmorescienceactivityexposure.Americanadultslargelyhavenotbeenparticipatinginscientificresearchactivities,andthosewithlessincomeoreducationalattainmentreportrelativelylessparticipation.

Introduction

Publicperceptionsofscienceandtechnology(S&T)intheUnitedStatesaffectmanyaspectsofciviclife.Theypredictcitizenengagementwithformalscienceeducation(Vincent-RuzandSchunn2018),supportforinvestmentinS&T(Besley2018;Muñoz,Moreno,andLuján2012),andthewaysinwhichthepublictalksaboutscientificdiscoveries(SouthwellandTorres2006).Publicencounterswith,andunderstandingof,sciencecanalsohelppredictbehaviortowardscientificorganizationsandfuturepatternsofscience,engineering,technology,andmathematics(STEM)training(VanMeter-Adamsetal.2014).

GiventhepotentialconsequencesofpublicperceptionsontheS&TenterpriseintheUnitedStates,researchershavebeenstudyingpublicunderstandingofsciencefordecades(Durant,Evans,andThomas1989;Hilgartner1990;Leshner2003;Allumetal.2008;Funketal.2019).TheNationalScienceBoardhaspublishednumerousiterationsoftheScienceandTechnology:PublicAttitudes,Knowledge,andInterestreportthatincludedataontrendsinopinions,attitudes,andbehaviorsrelatedtoS&T.(Forinformationonthemostrecentpreviousversionofthisreport,seeNSBIndicators

2020report"[2020]ScienceandTechnology:PublicAttitudes,Knowledge,andInterest.")

AlthoughmeasuringpublicperceptionsofS&Thasbeenalong-standingprojectforsocialscienceresearch,measurementitselfhasevolvedasresearchershavecometorecognizethecomplexityofthoseperceptions.EarlierresearcherstendedtofocusondeficitsinscienceknowledgeasakeycriterionforevaluatingpublicunderstandingofS&T,suchastestingfactualknowledgeaboutantibiotics.Morerecently,however,researchershaveturnedtomeasuringpublicperceptionsofsciencepracticeandscientificinstitutions.Thatunderstandingincludesarangeofideasandbeliefsthatmaynotalwaysalignneatlywithknowledgeofscientificfacts(Miller2004;Allumetal.2008).Patternsofpublicperceptionalsoevolveovertime,suggestingthatbothcross-sectionalandlongitudinaldata(meaningdatacapturedatonepointintimeanddatageneratedovertime)aresometimesnecessarytoaccuratelytrackandevaluatepublicbeliefsaboutS&T.

Someresearchersviewscienceasoperatingwithinlargersocialandculturalcontexts—suchaspublicdiscourseaboutvalues,therolesofinstitutions,andspecificthreatstohealthandwell-being—thatmustbeacknowledgedinthinkingabouthowpeopleperceivescientificresearch(seeBauer2009;BrossardandLewenstein2010;Lewenstein1992).Thesechangingconsiderationsofscienceasanendeavorandoftherolesofscientificinstitutionsintersectwithlong-standingnationalmeasurementeffortsthatusestableindicatorstotrackpublicunderstandingofscienceovertime.Asaresult,anyefforttosummarizepublicperceptionsofsciencemustaddressthetensionbetweenestablishedmeasurementeffortsthathavenotchangedsubstantiallyovertimeandevolvingconversationsaboutwhatmeasuresofpublicunderstandingofS&Tarepossibleandappropriate.

Thisreportdrawsonrelevantpeer-reviewedresearchandoffersindicatorsanddataonthreeimportantdimensionsofpublicunderstanding:(1)Americans’perceptionsofS&Tissues;(2)howwelltheyunderstandscientificlogicandresearchprocesses;and(3)wheretheyencounterscienceandgetscientificinformation.Whenpossible,thediscussionincludesbothaggregateU.S.dataonpublicperceptionsanddatabrokendownbydemographiccharacteristics.ThereportalsoincludessomeinformationcomparingAmericans’publicperceptionsofS&TtothoseoftheircounterpartsinothercountrieswithhighlevelsofspendingonS&Tresearchanddevelopment(R&D).

PublicPerceptionsofScienceandTechnology

PublicopiniononS&Tincludesbeliefsaboutthegeneralpromiseandbenefitsofscientificresearchforsocietyaswellasawarenessandperceptionsofspecificscientifictopics,includingthoseofrecentinterestlikeresearchonsevereacuterespiratorysyndromecoronavirus2(SARS-CoV-2)andCOVID-19;citizenscience;andartificialintelligence(AI),robotics,andautomationtechnology.Socialscienceresearchalsohighlightsnewinsightsaboutpublicperceptionoflong-standingconcernssuchasclimatechangeandthestateofscienceeducationintheUnitedStates.

GeneralPerceptionsofS&T

Americans’supportforS&Tasageneralenterprisehasbeenconsistentlyquitepositiveforatleastfourdecades.Fornearlyfivedecades,theGeneralSocialSurvey(GSS)—anationallyrepresentativesurveyofadultsintheUnitedStates—hasassessedAmericans’perceptionsofS&T(Smithetal.2012–18).From1979to2018,theGSSfoundaclearmajorityofAmericanadultsagreedthatthebenefitsofscientificresearchstronglyorslightlyoutweightheharmfulresults(

Figure

PPS-1

).From1992to2018,theGSSalsofoundthatmostAmericanssurveyedbelievedthattherewouldbemoreopportunities“forthenextgeneration”becauseofS&T(

FigurePPS-2

)andthattheysupportedfederalfundingforbasicscientificresearch,evenwhentheydidnotexpectthatresearchtoproduceimmediatebenefits.

FigurePPS-1

Publicassessmentofbenefitsandharmsofscientificresearch:Selectedyears,1979–2018

0

n=numberofsurveyresponses.

Note(s):

Percentagesmaynotaddto100%becauseofrounding.SeeTableSPPS-1forstandarderrors.Figuredisplaysdataforyearswhenthequestionwasproffered.Responsesaretothefollowing:Peoplehavefrequentlynotedthatscientificresearchhasproducedbenefitsandharmfulresults.Wouldyousaythat,onbalance,thebenefitsofscientificresearchhaveoutweighedtheharmfulresults,orhavetheharmfulresultsofscientificresearchbeengreaterthanitsbenefits?Inthisfigure,"Benefits...outweighharmfulresults"and"Harmfulresults...outweighbenefits"eachcombineresponsesof"stronglyoutweigh"and"slightlyoutweigh."

Source(s):

Dataaresourcedfrommultiplesurveysthatusedeitheridenticalorsimilarsurveyitems.NationalCenterforScienceandEngineeringStatistics,SurveyofPublicAttitudesTowardandUnderstandingofScienceandTechnology(1979–2001);UniversityofMichigan,SurveyofConsumerAttitudes(2004);NORCattheUniversityofChicago,GeneralSocialSurvey(2006–18).

ScienceandEngineeringIndicators

FigurePPS-2

U.S.adultswhoagreethatsciencemakesourwayoflifechangetoofast,thatscienceprovidesmoreopportunitiesforthenext

generation,andthatthefederalgovernmentshouldfundbasicscientificresearch:Selectedyears,1992–2018

0

n=numberofsurveyresponses.

Note(s):

SeeTableSPPS-2throughTableSPPS-4foradditionaldetail.SeeTableSPPS-5throughTableSPPS-7forstandarderrors.Responsesaretothefollowing:Sciencemakesourwayoflifechangetoofast.Becauseofscienceandtechnology,therewillbemoreopportunitiesforthenextgeneration.Evenifitbringsnoimmediatebenefits,scientificresearchthatadvancesthefrontiersofknowledgeisnecessaryandshouldbesupportedbythefederalgovernment.Figuredisplaysthepercentageofrespondentswho"stronglyagree"or"agree"withtheaforementionedstatements.

Source(s):

Dataaresourcedfrommultiplesurveysthatusedeitheridenticalorsimilarsurveyitems.NationalCenterforScienceandEngineeringStatistics,SurveyofPublicAttitudesTowardandUnderstandingofScienceandTechnology(1992–2001);UniversityofMichigan,SurveyofConsumerAttitudes(2004);NORCattheUniversityofChicago,GeneralSocialSurvey(2006–18).

ScienceandEngineeringIndicators

OneexceptiontoAmericans’tendencytosupportS&Thasbeentheperceptionthatsciencemakeslifechangetoofast.In

thelastdecade,Americanshavebeenalmostevenlysplitabouttheviewthatsciencehassuchadownside(

Figure

PPS-2

).From2010to2018,theGSSfoundthatroughlyhalfofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthat“science

makesourwayoflifechangetoofast,”movingupfromanaverageof38%from1995to1999toanaverageof50%from

2014to2018.

Americansalsohavetendedtoreportthattheytrustinscience,andthatstanceissimilartoresidentsoftheothercountriesthatspendthemostonS&TR&Dcomparedtotherestoftheworld.Accordingtothe2018WellcomeGlobalMonitorsurvey(Gallup2019b)—theworld’slargeststudyonhowpeoplearoundtheworldthinkandfeelaboutscienceandmajorhealthchallenges—amajorityofAmericanssurveyedreportedthattheytrustscience“some”or“alot.”Thisstancewasconsistentwithcitizensinthetop16countrieswiththelargestgrossdomesticexpenditureonR&Dasapercentageofgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)asof2017(

FigurePPS-3

).

FigurePPS-3

Trustinscience,bycountry:2018

0

n=numberofsurveyresponses.

Note(s):

Percentagesmaynotaddto100%becauseofrounding.SeeTableSPPS-8forstandarderrors.Countriesarethosewithtop16grossdomesticexpendituresonR&Dasapercentageofgrossdomesticproductin2017,listedinorderofpercentagesthattrustscience"alot"fromhighesttolowest.(SeeScienceandEngineeringIndicators2020"[2020]ResearchandDevelopment:U.S.TrendsandInternationalComparisons"report:Table4-5.)Responsesaretothefollowing:Ingeneral,wouldyousaythatyoutrustsciencealot,some,notmuch,ornotatall?

Source(s):

Gallup,WellcomeGlobalMonitor,2019.

ScienceandEngineeringIndicators

DespiteAmericans’generalendorsementofscienceandthestabilityoftheirgeneralperceptionsofscienceovertime,therearesomenotabledifferencesinconfidenceinS&Tbetweensomegroups.Onesourceofthosevariationsistheextenttowhichpeopleunderstandhowscientistsconductresearchandusethelogicofsciencetogenerateevidence.Thisissuewillbeexploredlaterinthisreport;seesection

PublicFamiliaritywithScienceandTechnologyResearch

Processes

.

PerceptionsofScientists

Inthedecadesspanningthelate20thandearly21stcenturies,Americans’confidenceinscientistshasbeenhighrelativetotheirconfidenceinotherprofessionals(Krauseetal.2019).AhighlevelofAmericans’confidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofsocietyisevidentinGSSdataspanningfrom1985through2018.Overthatperiod,severalsurveys,includingtheGSS,askedrespondentstheextenttowhichtheyagreedthatscientistsarededicatedpeoplewhoworkforthegoodofhumanity,helptosolvechallengingproblems,andworktomakelifebetterfortheaverageperson(

Figure

PPS-4

).AconsistentlyhighpercentageofAmericansagreedwiththosestatementsineverysurvey,althoughtherehasbeensomefluctuation.Forexample,thepercentageofAmericanswhobelievescientistsworktomakelifebetterfortheaveragepersonrangedfrom80%in1985to89%in2018.The2021GSScross-sectionstudyfieldedasimilarquestionfromDecember2020toMay2021askingabouttheextenttowhichparticipantshaveconfidenceinthe“scientificcommunity,”andresultsalsosuggestedwidespreadconfidence

.

1

Accordingto2021GSSresults,halfofAmericanshada“greatdealofconfidence”inthe“scientificcommunity,”andanother43%expressed“onlysome”confidence,whereasaminorityofadults—approximately7%—expressed“hardlyanyconfidenceatall”(Davernetal.2021).ThetendencyofthemajorityofAmericanstoexpressconfidenceinscientistsandscientificinstitutionsisnotable,giventhatsomerecentheadlineshaveimpliedadeclineinAmericans’levelsoftrustoreventheirwidespreadmistrustinscientistswithoutaccompanyingevidence(Fearnow2021;Piccone2020).

FigurePPS-4

Publicperceptionofscientists:Selectedyears,1985–2018

0

na=notapplicable;questionwasnotasked.

n=numberofsurveyresponses.

Note(s):

SeeTableSPPS-9foradditionalyearsanddetail.SeeTableSPPS-10forstandarderrors.Datarepresentrespondentswho"stronglyagree"and"agree"withthefollowing:Scientistsarehelpingtosolvechallengingproblems;Scientificresearchersarededicatedpeoplewhoworkforthegoodofhumanity;andMostscientistswanttoworkonthingsthatwillmakelifebetterfortheaverageperson.

Source(s):

Dataaresourcedfrommultiplesurveysthatusedeitheridenticalorsimilarsurveyitems.NationalCenterforScienceandEngineeringStatistics,SurveyofPublicAttitudesTowardandUnderstandingofScienceandTechnology(1985–2001);NORCattheUniversityofChicago,GeneralSocialSurvey(2012–18).

ScienceandEngineeringIndicators

FollowingtheonsetoftheCOVID-19pandemic,inAprilandMay2020Americans’confidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublicalsoappearedtohaveincreasedsomewhatbeyondhistoricaltrends(Funk,Kennedy,andJohnson2020),suggestingthatthevalueofsometypesofscientificresearchbecamemoreapparenttoAmericansinthefirstyearofthepandemiccomparedtothetimebeforethepandemic.InAprilandMay2020,thePewResearchCenterconductedasurveywithAmericanadultsandrepeatedquestionsithadaskedin2016and2019abouttheirconfidenceinmedicalscientistsandscientistsingeneraltoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic(Funk,Kennedy,andJohnson2020).In2016,24%reporteda“greatdeal”ofconfidencethatmedicalscientistswouldactinthepublicinterest.Butinspring2020,thispercentageincreasedto43%ofrespondentsreportingthatlevelofconfidenceinmedicalscientists.Forscientistsgenerally,21%ofrespondentsexpressedagreatdealofconfidencein2016,comparedto39%inspring2020.

Globally,2018and2020WellcomeGlobalMonitorstudiesin113countriesalsohavedemonstratedanincreaseinthepercentageofthosewhotrustscientists“alot.”The2018and2020studiesdifferedinthenumberofcountriesincludedandbyinterviewmodality;the2020study,conductedprimarilybetweenSeptemberandDecember2020,occurredinfewercountriesthanthe2018studyandincludedtelephoneinterviewingratherthanface-to-faceinterviews.Nonetheless,eachofthetwostudiesincludedparticipantsfromacommonsetof113countries.Datafromthosecountriespointtoanincreasedleveloftrustinscientists:43%ofpeopleanswered“alot”whenaskedabouthowmuchtheytrustin“scientistsinthiscountry”inlate2020versus34%whoanswered“alot”in2018(Gallup2021).

Althoughconfidenceinscientistshasremainedhighfordecades,Americansarenotuniformintheirexpressedconfidence,suggestingsomevariationintrustinscientists.AccordingtoNovember2020datafromPewResearchCenter’sAmericanTrendsPanel(ATP),

2

84%ofU.S.adultsexpressed“afairamount”or“agreatdeal”ofconfidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic(

TablePPS-1

).Confidenceinscientistsdifferedbyeducationandincome.Forexample,54%ofU.S.adultswithapostgraduatedegreeexpressedagreatdealofconfidenceinscientists,whereas30%ofU.S.adultswithahighschooldegreeorlessdid.HalfofU.S.adultsinthehighestofthreefamilyincometiersinthesurveyexpressedagreatdealofconfidence,while32%ofU.S.adultsinthelowestfamilyincometierexpressedthatsamelevelofconfidence.Whataccountsforthedifferencesinconfidenceinscientistsbetweenadultswithdifferenteducationandincomelevelsisanimportantempiricalquestion.The2020AmericanTrendsPaneldatademonstratelimiteddifferencesinconfidenceinscientistsasafunctionofrespondentraceandnodifferencesasafunctionofrespondentsex(

TablePPS-1

).Later,thisreportwillassessonefactorthatpredictsconfidence—namely,theextenttowhichpeopleunderstandhowscientificinquiryideallyoccurs.(Seesection

PublicFamiliaritywithScienceand

TechnologyResearchProcesses

.)

TablePPS-1

Confidenceinscientiststoactinthebestinterestsofthepublic,bydemographiccharacteristics:2020

(Percent)

Characteristic

Levelofconfidenceinscientists

Agreatdeal

Afairamount

Nottoomuch

Noneatall

Alladults(n=6,283)

39

45

13

3

Sex

Male(n=2,799)

39

46

12

3

Female(n=3,435)

38

45

14

2

Raceorethnicity

White(n=4,311)

40

44

12

3

Black(n=507)

35

44

19

2

Hispanic(n=999)

35

51

13

2

Asian(n=180)

50

46

4

*

Familyincomecategorya

Upperincome(n=1,848)

50

40

8

1

Middleincome(n=2,925)

39

47

11

2

Lowerincome(n=1,251)

32

46

17

4

Education

Postgraduate(n=1,714)

54

38

7

1

Collegegraduate(n=1,841)

47

42

9

1

Somecollege(n=1,833)

38

46

12

3

Highschoolorless(n=884)

30

49

17

3

*=value<1%.

n=numberofsurveyresponses.

aIncometiersarebasedon2019familyincomesthathavebeenadjustedforhouseholdsizeandcostoflivinginrespondents'geographicregion.Middleincomeincludesrespondentswhosefamilyincomesarebetweentwo-thirdsofanddoublethemedianadjustedfamilyincomeamongthepanelofrespondents.Forathree-personhousehold,upperincomeisapproximately$116,801andabove,middleincomeis$38,900–$116,800,andlowerincomeislessthan$38,900.

Note(s):

Percentagesmaynotaddto100%becausethenonresponsecategoryforlevelofconfidenceisnotshown.SeeTableSPPS-11forstandarderrors.Responsesaretothefollowing:Howmuchconfidence,ifany,doyouhavein[scientists]toactinthebestinterestsofthepublic?

Source(s):

PewResearchCenter,AmericanTrendsPanel(2020),Wave79,conducted18–29November2020.Datawereprovidedtotheauthorsbythecenter

priortopublicrelease.

ScienceandEng