PEW study: Scientists think public is mostly dumb in science

By William Atkins
Sunday, 12 July 2009 18:40

Science - Biology

A PEW Research Center study conducted in 2009 states that a majority of U.S. scientists think the U.S. public, in general, is pretty much ignorant on the subject of science. Is that true? Take a Science Knowledge quiz and see how you rank!


The PEW Research Center’s article “Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media” comments on the summaries of its report.

The PEW Research Center for the People and the Press (PEW Research Center, for short) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conducted the survey.

It involved 2,533 U.S. scientists (members of the AAAS) and 2,001 members of the U.S. public.

They were asked questions within three separate surveys.The survey taken by the public was conducted between April 28 to May 12, 2009.

The survey, which was announced on Thursday, July 10, 2009, basically says that the achievements of science are “less prominent” than they were one decade ago.

The PEW article states that: “Overwhelming majorities say that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people.”

Page two talks about the big difference on how scientists think about the public and the attitudes of the public about scientists and science, in general.