A recent survey of public attitudes to science in the US challenges the persistent idea in parts of the scientific community that science is under siege in the US, that a large and growing religious minority distrusts science, and that scientists get a bad rap among the public and in pop culture. The results suggest the opposite—the vast majority of even evangelical Christians respect science and scientists.
"Indeed, while there are a few areas of conflict between science and religion in the United States, particularly regarding questions of life's origins, more than eight-in-ten Americans (84% in the recent Pew Research Center survey) say they view science as having a mostly positive impact on society. Among those who attend religious services at least once a week, the number is roughly the same (80%)."
"The United States is the most religious industrial democracy in the world. At the same time, the U.S. is a science superpower, leading the world in many key areas of scientific research and in most fields of technological development. While this combination of widespread religious commitment and leadership in science and technology could be a potential source of conflict, evidence from a May 2009 survey of public attitudes toward science conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that most Americans, including most religious Americans, hold scientific research and scientists themselves in high regard.... 70% of U.S. adults think scientists contribute "a lot" to society" [placing them beneath only members of the military and teachers].
Curiously, as this article on the above survey notes, "While the public holds scientists in high regard, many scientists offer unfavorable, if not critical, assessments of the public’s knowledge and expectations. Fully 85% see the public’s lack of scientific knowledge as a major problem for science, and nearly half (49%) fault the public for having unrealistic expectations about the speed of scientific achievements."
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