Wide gap exists between scientists, U.S. public over science issues: survey

Scientists and the general public in the United States are sharply divided over a broad range of hot topics related to science such as genetically modified (GMO) foods, climate change and human evolution, according a new survey out on Thursday that also found "considerable concern" about science education for U.S. kids by both groups.

The largest differences between the public and scientists are found in beliefs about the safety of GM foods, as 88 percent of scientists think eating GM food is safe, while 37 percent of the public believes that, said the survey by the Pew Research Center in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

One possible reason for the gap is that two-thirds of the public say scientists do not have a clear understanding about the health effects, it said.

The report also found a 42-percentage point gap over the issue of using animals in research as 89 percent of scientists favor it, while 47 percent of the public backs the idea.

A similar pattern occurs when it comes to the safety of eating foods grown with pesticides, as 68 percent of scientists say eating such foods is generally safe, compared with 28 percent of citizens.

A 37-percentage point gap exists over whether climate change is mostly caused by human activity, as 87 percent of scientists say that it is, while 50 percent of the public does.

Meanwhile, the report found public attitudes about climate change have become "increasingly contentious" over the past several years. Compared with a similar survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2009, more now say there is no solid evidence of warming and fewer say that warming is occurring due to natural patterns in the environment.

In addition, 98 percent of scientists believe that humans have evolved over time, compared with 65 percent of the public.

"We knew from the 2009 Pew Research Center study that there could be differences between the public and scientists on at least some issues. But we were surprised by the size of those differences and how often they occur," said Cary Funk, lead author of the report and associate director of science research at Pew Research Center.

There is agreement between the public and scientists on one issue: both groups believe that science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM) in America's elementary and secondary schools is not performing well.

Only 16 percent of scientists and 29 percent of the general public rank U.S. K-12 STEM education as above average or the best in the world. And three-quarters of scientists say too little STEM education is a major factor in the public's limited knowledge about science, which an overwhelming majority of scientists see as a problem for science in general.

"Whatever their disagreements, most in the public and science community see STEM education as a concern," said Lee Rainie, co- author and Pew Research Center director of internet, science and technology research.

"When both groups basically speak in the same voice about an issue, it is worth paying attention," Rainie added.

In an editorial published in Science, Alan Leshner, chief executive officer of AAAS and executive publisher of the U.S. journal, called for "genuine, respectful dialogues" between scientists and the public to bridge the opinion gap.

"These findings should come as no real surprise, given increasing public attention to relatively rare event that, even though infrequent, undermine the public's trust of science, such as conflicts of interest, the failure to replicate certain results, or 'silly-sounding' grant titles that imply wasteful spending," Leshner wrote.

"How can we bridge this gap? ... Speaking up for the importance of science to society is our only hope, and scientists must not shy away from engaging with the public, even on the most polarizing science-based topics."

Leshner urged scientists to respond forthrightly to public concerns. "In other words, there needs to be a conversation, not a lecture," he added. Endite