1 in 4 Yanks unaware the Earth circles the Sun

[dirk diggler]

Chicago (AFP) - Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday.

The survey included more than 2,200 people in the United States and was conducted by the National Science Foundation.

Nine questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score -- 6.5 correct -- was barely a passing grade.

Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, according to the results released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.

The result of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama and US lawmakers.

One in three respondents said science should get more funding from the government.

Nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.Chicago (AFP) - Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday.

The survey included more than 2,200 people in the United States and was conducted by the National Science Foundation.

Nine questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score -- 6.5 correct -- was barely a passing grade.

Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, according to the results released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.

The result of the survey, which is conducted every two years, will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama and US lawmakers.

One in three respondents said science should get more funding from the government.

Nearly 90 percent said the benefits of science outweigh any dangers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.

Yahoo!

[Thormaturge]

Any religion that talks about spare ribs gets my attention.

[BaitongBoy]

Some of those spare ribs are quite tasty...

[Dillinger]

Fewer than half (48 percent) knew that human beings evolved from earlier species of animals.

Dem be Xtians

[Necron99]

Did they do the survey twice?

[Albert Shagnastier]

1 in 4? - did this at a university then.

[charleyboy]

My mates daughter , when visiting him over here asked."Do we fly over the moon to get here?"
My mate, puzzled asked. "What do you mean?"
She..." When I looked out of the window, the moon appeared to be below us!"

[kingwilly]

I cannot find this survey on the National Science Foundation's website....

[dirk diggler]

will be included in a National Science Foundation report to President Barack Obama

[kingwilly]

Yes, but no mention of it anywhere in on their website. (which lists many other surveys that they do.

Education of Scientists and Engineers
Survey of Earned Doctorates[+]
Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering[+]
Research and Development Funding and Expenditures
Business Research and Development and Innovation Survey (BRDIS)[+]
FFRDC Research and Development Survey[+]
Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD)[+]
Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development[+]
Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions[+]
Survey of Microbusiness Innovation Science and Technology (Forthcoming)[+]
Survey of State Government Research and Development[+]
Science and Engineering Research Facilities
Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities[+]
Science and Engineering Workforce
Early Career Doctorates Project (Forthcoming)[+]
National Survey of College Graduates[+]
National Survey of Recent College Graduates[+]
Survey of Doctorate Recipients[+]
Survey of Postdocs at Federally Funded Research and Development Centers[+]
Other Surveys
Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology[+]
nsf.gov - Surveys - NCSES - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

The result of the survey, which is conducted every two years,

Perhaps they mean the Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology[-]
The Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology monitored public attitudes towards science and technology, including the public’s level of scientific understanding and policy preferences on selected issues. The survey was closely coordinated with surveys in several other countries in order to facilitate international comparisons. Data on the topics formerly covered by the survey are now collected as part of the biennial General Social Survey (GSS). The GSS is a nationally representative, face-to-face survey covering a broad range of behavior and attitudes conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

[kingwilly]

But that then gets tricky, because the last data set of that survey available on NSF website is from 2001, for more recent data they suggest heading over to the GSS website.

[kingwilly]

It must be.

Question: M10
Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.
Is that true or false?
1> true
2> false

Question: N2
Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth?
1> Earth goes around Sun
2> Sun goes around Earth

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyattitude/spaquest.pdf

http://www3.norc.org/gss+website/

[dirk diggler]

Keep Calm, most of what you read on TD is nonsense.

[dirk diggler]

Aye, that sounds about right.

[Rainfall]

In defence of Americans, this question

Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals.
Is that true or false?
1> true
2> false

does not establish what they know, but what they chose to say in public.

The whole bloody survey is a travesty, an interrogation designed to obtain private information, and to push more falsehoods in the heads of the people interrogated. It's 29 pages long, maybe 10 questions on average per page, all in all about 300. 19 pages of personal questions alone. I wouldn't take part in anything like that. Shame I can't copy from this pdf page,

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyattitude/spaquest.pdf

when I see that loaded questions imply that bioengineering of plants, animals and humans is the same like testing people for genetic diseases, (and you can't have one w/o the other), I've had enough.

[kingwilly]

I dont agree with your friends conclusion, they are open about the survey instrument, allow anyone to examine the dataset, they publish the questions.

sure, the question above has a religious answer, but it bloody well relates to science and the public's perception thereof...

[chassamui]

The survey questions give each person a 50% chance of success or failure. Easy to skew the results to get the impression the PR team wish to convey.

Tell the president his people are stupid and persuade him to give us more money. I'd like to think shit surveys like this would not get past the white house receptionist.
File 13

[barbaro]

Chicago (AFP) - Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday.

The survey included more than 2,200 people in the United States and was conducted by the National Science Foundation.

Nine questions about physical and biological science were on the quiz, and the average score -- 6.5 correct -- was barely a passing grade.

Just 74 percent of respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the Sun, according to the results released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago.

To be blunt and direct: what was the racial / ethnic mix of those respondents that thought the Sun circles the Earth?

[raycarey]

i'd bet that somewhere around 1 in 50 think that the sun circles only america.

[AsGoodAsItGets]

America is a religious looney land so those nutters will vote whatever way they want. Plus there are plenty of uneducated immigrants in the US population. And there have been 40 million immigrants since 1990.

[kingwilly]

The survey questions give each person a 50% chance of success or failure. Easy to skew the results to get the impression the PR team wish to convey.

Tell the president his people are stupid and persuade him to give us more money. I'd like to think shit surveys like this would not get past the white house receptionist.
File 13

Did you read the survey? Plenty of other types of questions too. With over 30 questions and answers skewing the results become minuscule.

[baldrick]

Did they do the survey twice?

repetitive learning - there will be a quiz later

[Rainfall]

"Which parent determines the gender of a baby" is a good question. The father of course, but the women have been blamed 'for not giving him a son' since time immemorial. Now that's injustice.

[chassamui]

To be blunt and direct: what was the racial / ethnic mix of those respondents that thought the Sun circles the Earth?

Questions like that just demonstrates how stupid some Americans can be.
Would it make a difference if they were all black lesbian monopede truckers?

[cyrille]

To be blunt and direct: what was the racial / ethnic mix of those respondents that thought the Sun circles the Earth?

Yeah, cos stoopid seppos are such a racially homogeneous group.