Poll: Americans Dubious of Scientific Facts

A week ago the Associated Press released its results from a poll it administered to determine where Americans stand on nine scientific theories. These theories come as close to scientific facts as theories can get and include the connection between smoking and cancer, the Big Bang Theory, evolution, and the age of the Earth. Americans’ unwillingness to accept these facts was shocking. The toughest sell was the Big Bang Theory, about which 51% of Americans were either “not too confident” or “not at all confident." Not all the topics fared as poorly, with only 4% doubting that smoking causes cancer (although it is still surprising to me that there are any holdouts).

The article attached to the poll cited a number of possible reasons to explain these results. Americans were most dubious of facts that could not be seen with their own eyes (like the Big Bang Theory and evolution). They do not trust what scientists and the media tell them. Topics that came against their religion or politics also met opposition (the poll also contained questions to ascertain the participants’ religious and political affiliations). The article also cites public leaders’ antagonism to science and the action of special interest groups to oppose truths on vaccines, climate change, and evolution as reasons for a lack of acceptance.

The poll results are pretty remarkable. It’s no surprise that recent research efforts in fields such as stem cell research have been met by such staunch opposition. If the public trusts scientists so little on such heavily researched topics as the ones listed in the poll they must have little to no faith in research in general.

Here are links to the article and the poll results.