Poll Shows Giant Gap Between What Public, Scientists Think [Obey Your Overlords]

ABC "News" ^ | 1/29/15 | Seth Borenstein

[SoFloFreeper]

The American public and U.S. scientists are light-years apart on science issues. And 98 percent of surveyed scientists say it's a problem.....

Scientists are far less worried about genetically modified food, pesticide use, and nuclear power than is the general public, according to matching polls of both the general public and the country's largest general science organization. Scientists were more certain that global warming is caused by man, evolution is real, overpopulation is a danger and mandatory vaccination against childhood diseases is needed.

[SoFloFreeper]

Dylan said it best in his song "Do Right to me Baby (Do unto others)":

Don't put my faith in nobody--not even a scientist.

We are perfectly capable of governing ourselves, Mr and Mrs Scientist. Contribute your research to the discussion, but you are not going to be the final word on any issue.

Period. Full stop. End of story.

[martin_fierro]

Those wags at imgur can goof on Christianity all day long ...

But don't you dare poke fun at one of their sacred cows.

[backwoods-engineer]

So sick of the scientist philosopher-king bullcrap. I am sick of being told to obey my “betters”. I’ve had it with the lies and dissimulation from the scientific community, who are just as corrupt and political as the politicians they service like whores.

[Repeal The 17th]

Yes, indeed.
There’s a slow, slow train coming up around the bend.

[ConservativeInPA]

It seems that there are an increasing number of so-called scientists that do not understand the definitions of a scientific hypothesis, theory and law. This is a particular trait of the global warming/climate change crowd. They build their models and their models fail, over and over again. That means that they cannot even prove their hypothesis, hence their ideas are not even close to a theory, let alone law.

This is not surprising. Money warps many peoples' perspective.

[DanielRedfoot]

“..Scientists are far less worried about…”

---

So ABC now has spoken to every single “Scientist”

Important point: to Liberals, a “scientist” is any other Liberal that they hand a white Lab coat to...

[Talisker]

So I know these “scientists” are geniuses and everything, but what happens to their government grant money and their positions at liberal universities if they should change their minds about these issues?

Not that that has anything to do with their honesty, mind you.

[4rcane]

Theres also a gap between the public and economists. Economists think the economy is great, while the public know something is wrong with it

This seem to be a trend, the establishment in any field always get it so wrong because they are arrogant

[outofsalt]

"So sick of the scientist philosopher-king bullcrap."

It has been said that we must respect scientist/philosophers as we would plumbers because neither theories nor pipes ultimately hold water.

[outofsalt]

Oh, and the media is just there to make a buck any way they can.

[clearcarbon]

There was a time when integrity was associated with earning a college degree.

[Nateman]

There was a Soviet "Scientist" by the name of Trofim Denisovich Lysenko whose ridiculous views on evolution happen to fit Stalin's party line. His so called "Science" was pushed upon the Soviet people with disastrous results. Like the witchcraft trails before that and Global warming now it's all the rage and totally wrong.

[KosmicKitty]

There is also no consensus among scientists about anthropomorphic global warming, but don’t expect ABC news to tell you that.

[Sir Napsalot]

>>> “Science is about facts; science is not about values,” Leshner (chief executive officer of AAAS) said. ..... “It's not about being smart or dumb,” Leshner said. “It's about whether, in fact, you understand the source of the fact and what the facts are.” <<<<

Like the guy said, the only sound public policy (policies) based on true facts can be of value to the public. But as always, politicians who make up the policies take cue from public opinions, which is shaped by emotions and intensely promoted by ideologue driven mass media (including educators).

Personally I agree with the scientists' view in this poll, except for one sticky point, anthropogenic global warming. And contrary to 'public belief', there is no one-sided consensus amongst scientists. And that brought the high question mark (to my mind) to this Pew survey.

[SunkenCiv]

This continues to puzzle sociologists.

• European Professor: E=Mc2 is "Sexed," Speed of Light is "Privileged"

[SunkenCiv]

Scientists are far less worried about...

1. genetically modified food
2. pesticide use
3. nuclear power

so far, not bad...

Scientists were more certain that:

1. global warming is caused by man
2. evolution is real
3. overpopulation is a danger
4. mandatory vaccination against childhood diseases is needed

The vax stuff belongs in the first group.