[PatrickHenry]

How sad is the state of science in America? Look at some of the results of the National Science Foundation's survey of 1,574 adults and recent (2002) report "Science & Engineering Indicators" [1], then judge for yourself.

* 70% of American adults do not understand the scientific process;
* Double digit percentage gains in belief of haunted houses, ghosts, communication with the dead, and witches in the past decade;
* U.S. depends heavily on foreign born scientists at all degree levels, as high as 45% in engineering;
* Belief in pseudoscience is relatively widespread and growing;
* 60% believe some people posses psychic powers or extrasensory perception (ESP);
* 30% believe some reported objects in the sky are really space vehicles from other civilizations;
* 30% read astrology charts at least occasionally in the newspaper;
* 46% did not know how long it takes the Earth to orbit the sun (1 year);
* 45% thought lasers work by focusing sound waves (they focus light);
* 49% believe antibiotics kill viruses (they kill bacteria);
* 66% don't believe the Big Bang theory widely accepted by scientists;
* 48% believe humans lived at the same time as the dinosaurs;
* 47% don't believe in evolution which is widely accepted by scientists;
* 55% couldn't define DNA;
* 78% couldn't define a molecule;
* 32% believe in 'Lucky Numbers'.

Source: HERE.

[gore3000]

* 70% of American adults do not understand the scientific process;

No doubt that is the same 70% that believe in the pseudo-science of evolution. They also believe in Martians, and give Art Bell a big audience. What's the scientific proof of evolution? How does a species transform itself into another species? What is exactly the theory of evolution Patrick? Can you ever back up your theory or do you just know how to insult opponents?

[AndrewC]

judge for yourself.

If the picture were so simple, men and women should have scored the same. For instance,---

A strong, positive relationship exists between number of correctly answered questions and level of formal education, number of science and mathematics courses completed, and attentiveness to S&T. For example, those who did not complete high school answered an average of 50 percent of the questions correctly compared with scores of 63 percent for high school graduates, 77 percent for college graduates, and 80 percent for those who earned graduate or professional degrees. (See appendix table 7-9.)

In addition, only 22 percent of respondents were able to define molecule, and 45 percent gave an acceptable definition for DNA.[10] Although the percentage of correct responses to these questions was considerably lower than that for most of the short-answer questions, it is noteworthy that the percentage of correct responses increased in the late 1990s.

A higher percentage of men than women answered every question but three correctly. The gender gap was 20 or more points for four questions:

• Lasers work by focusing sound waves (61 percent of men compared with 30 percent of women).
  
  
• Light travels faster than sound (89 percent of men compared with 65 percent of women).
  
  
• Earth takes one year to go around the Sun (66 percent of men compared with 42 percent of women).
  
  
• Earth goes around the Sun and not vice versa (86 percent of men compared with 66 percent of women).

More women than men answered the following questions correctly:

• The father's gene decides whether the baby is a boy or a girl (72 percent of women compared with 58 percent of men).
  
  
• Antibiotics do not kill viruses (55 percent of women compared with 46 percent of men).

For the first time, a majority of all survey respondents answered the antibiotic question correctly (although a majority of men missed it). The growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has received widespread media coverage during the past few years. In identifying the main cause of the problem, the overprescribing of antibiotics, it is almost always mentioned that antibiotics are ineffective in killing viruses. In addition, parents of young children, especially those prone to ear infections, have been warned by their pediatricians about this problem. Although the message still has not reached a large segment of the population, the percentage of those answering correctly has been rising, from 40 percent in 1995 to 51 percent in 2001.

During most of the 20th century, probably the most contentious issue in science teaching has been whether evolution is taught or not taught in U.S. public school classrooms. The latest major dispute in this long-running battle was the Kansas State Board of Education's 1999 decision to delete evolution from the state's science standards. This event received widespread coverage in the press and sparked an outcry in the science community.[11] In addition, most of the public was not happy with the decision; 60 percent of Americans were opposed to the school board's action.[12] Moreover, most Kansans also felt the same way.[13] Thus, it was not too surprising when two board members who had voted for the change were defeated in the next election by candidates who supported the teaching of evolution. Subsequently, the reconstituted Kansas School Board reversed the decision.

The attention received by the Kansas controversy may be responsible for a change in response to the "evolution" question. For the first time, a majority of survey respondents answered true to the statement "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals," representing a major change in response to this question[14] and bringing the United States more in line with other industrialized countries in response to this question (Gendall, Smith, and Russell 1995).

Gallup polls taken during the past 20 years consistently show a plurality (45 percent in February 2001) of Americans agreeing with the statement: "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so" (Brooks 2001).

In addition, two-thirds of those surveyed (68 percent) favor teaching this belief (known as creationism) along with evolution in public schools, although 29 percent are opposed. However, 55 percent are opposed to teaching creationism instead of evolution (Gallup News Service 2000).

A study conducted for the People for the American Way Foundation took a closer look at the question of teaching evolution and found an overwhelming majority of Americans (83 percent) agreeing that it should be taught in the classroom. However, there is also strong support for teaching creationism. A detailed breakdown of the survey findings shows a wide range of opinion on the issue:

• 20 percent favor teaching only evolution and nothing else in public schools;
  
  
• 17 percent want only evolution taught in science classes but say that religious explanations can be discussed in other classes;
  
  
• 29 percent do not have a problem with creationism being discussed in science classes but believe it should be discussed as a "belief," not a scientific theory;
  
  
• 13 percent believe that both evolution and creationism should be taught as scientific theories in science class;
  
  
• 16 percent want no mention of evolution at all;
  
  
• 4 percent are in favor of teaching both evolution and creationism but are unsure about how to do it; and
  
  
• 1 percent have no opinion (People for American Way Foundation 2000).

Understanding the Scientific Process

The NSF survey also includes questions intended to determine how well the public understands the scientific process. Respondents are asked to explain what it means to study something scientifically.[15] In addition, respondents are asked questions pertaining to the experimental evaluation of a drug and about probability.[16]In 2001, 33 percent of respondents provided good explanations of what it means to study something scientifically.[17] A large minority (43 percent) answered the experiment questions correctly, including the question(s) that focused on the use of control groups. A majority (57 percent) answered the four probability questions correctly. (See appendix table 7-11.)

A combination of each survey participant's responses to the three items is used to estimate his or her overall level of understanding of the scientific process. To be classified as "understanding the scientific process," a respondent must answer all the probability questions correctly and either provide a "theory testing" response to the question about what it means to study something scientifically or provide a correct response to the open-ended question by explaining why it is better to test a drug using a control group. In 2001, 30 percent of respondents met these criteria. (See footnote 10, figure 7-5 , and appendix table 7-11.)

I find it interesting that education beyond a simple college degree only provided a 3 percent gain in "knowledge". But what is truly astounding to me is something in these numbers from the report.

 

  

  
 
  
  

  
1988
  
  

  
1990
  
  

  
1992
  
  

  
1995
  
  

  
1997
  
  

  
1999
  
  

  
2001
  
 
 

  

  
All
  adults 
  
  

  
2,041
  
  

  
2,033
  
  

  
1,004
  
  

  
2,006
  
  

  
2,000
  
  

  
1,882
  
  

  
1,574
  
 
 

  

  
Male 
  
  

  
958
  
  

  
964
  
  

  
486
  
  

  
953
  
  

  
930
  
  

  
900
  
  

  
751
  
 
 

  

  
Female 
  
  

  
1,084
  
  

  
1,070
  
  

  
533
  
  

  
1,053
  
  

  
1,070
  
  

  
982
  
  

  
823
  
 
 

  

  
Less than
  high school graduate 
  
  

  
530
  
  

  
495
  
  

  
215
  
  

  
418
  
  

  
420
  
  

  
403
  
  

  
116
  
 
 

  

  
High
  school graduate 
  
  

  
1,158
  
  

  
1,202
  
  

  
623
  
  

  
1,196
  
  

  
1,188
  
  

  
1,111
  
  

  
834
  
 
 

  

  
Baccalaureate
  and higher 
  
  

  
353
  
  

  
336
  
  

  
203
  
  

  
392
  
  

  
392
  
  

  
368
  
  

  
614
  
 
 

  

  
Attentive
  public to science and technology 
  
  

  
233
  
  

  
229
  
  

  
105
  
  

  
195
  
  

  
288
  
  

  
216
  
  

  
195
  
 

[MattAMiller]

I always wonder about surveys like this. I suspect the questions are phrased rather oddly. I mean if I asked "How often does the Earth complete an orbit" I could get a lot of people to answer "once a day." And most of those people would not actually think that the Earth actually goes around the sun once a day.

And reading horoscopes in no implies a belief in them.

[usastandsunited]

LoL. Nice Try Patrick. Find some "facts", show how ignorant we are as a society by us not knowing these "facts". Then slip in this :
* 66% don't believe the Big Bang theory widely accepted by scientists;
* 48% believe humans lived at the same time as the dinosaurs;
* 47% don't believe in evolution which is widely accepted by scientists;
as if these are just more "facts" the ignorant people of society don't "know".

Besides, I thought you wanted to keep people's opinion influenced by their religion out of the discussion. About us info from your "SOURCE".

[cinFLA]

* 70% of American adults do not understand the scientific process;

70% of high school graduates are not able to comprehend basic concepts.

[cinFLA]

* 70% of American adults do not understand the scientific process;

And we get too many of the 70% starting threads here.