American Public: “Science is Good!”
Despite what the mainstream media might have you believe, the vast majority of the American public thinks science and innovation makes society better. This is news that candidates should heed because their stances on science issues could factor into the decision voters will make in November.
SOURCE: Flickr/Andrew Huff
Embryonic stem cell research, strong scientific input on global warming policy, and more federal funding for scientific research: these are all things the American public wants.
Recent polling shows that 80 percent of survey respondents think the federal government should fund scientific research, “even if it brings no immediate benefits.” According to Ruy Teixeria at the Center for American Progress, opinion polls also indicate that while President Bush thinks embryonic stem cell research is morally unacceptable, fewer and fewer Americans agree with him each year. In 2002, a Gallup poll revealed that 54 percent of Americans found embryonic stem cell research morally acceptable. In 2007, 64 percent were on board. That number is even higher when framed in the context of specific diseases embryonic stem cell research could help cure. Yet federal funding policies continue to limit stem cell research in this country.
The disparities between current federal funding and the amount of funding Americans think should go towards scientific research might be narrowed if we just listened to our scientists. The polls show that the American public want scientists to have more of a say in policy when it comes to issues like global warming, stem cell research, and genetically modified food. Scientists, survey takers feel, are more informed and more impartial decisionmakers than business leaders, religious leaders, or politicians. In fact, Teixeria found that Americans express a higher level of confidence in the leadership of the scientific community than they do in any other institution besides the military. You can read the full report on “What the Public Really Wants on Science” on the CAP website.
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