Christopher Rhoades Dÿkema
Kevin Robert Dean wrote:
> http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20010327213804data_trunc_sys.shtml
> A national survey developed by the California Academy of Sciences and
> polling organization Harris Interactive, reveals that the American public
> lacks basic scientific knowledge at a time when science-related issues -
> bioengineering, mapping the human genome, environmental problems, global
> climate change, cloning, the increasing extinction rate, the reliability of
> energy resources, and the future of science-based business and technology -
> have an increasing impact on daily life. The public has a distinct sense
> that it is falling behind in science: 43% of Americans say they understand
> less and less of what scientists are doing today.
>
> While crucial social, economic, and health issues now facing the public are
> being profoundly influenced by new scientific research, a startling number
> of Americans cannot answer even basic scientific questions:
>
> More than half of all American adults (53%) do not know that the Earth goes
> around the Sun once a year.
>
> Nearly half (48%) do not have a sense of what percentage of the Earth's
> surface is covered by water.
>
> And 42% can't answer correctly when asked if the earliest humans lived at
> the same time as dinosaurs.
>
> Nearly 1 in 5 people (19%) couldn't answer any of these questions correctly.
>
> Even college graduates did not fare well, just over a third (35%) were able
> to respond correctly to all three questions.
>
> The survey reveals a scientific knowledge gap that is particularly
> distressing at a point when science literacy has become essential to
> participating in our democracy and supporting the economy. Recent debates
> over arsenic levels in drinking water, testing for salmonella in school
> lunches, oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Kyoto
> global warming agreement, as well as the California energy crisis,
> illustrate the type of science-based issues the country confronts every day.
>
> "Not only is science changing dramatically, the challenges we face in our
> world are changing as well," says Patrick Kociolek, Curator and Executive
> Director of the California Academy of Sciences. "We are confronted with
> critical decisions on how to balance the needs of the environment with the
> need for continuing economic growth and prosperity, and how to meet the
> increasing need for reliable energy while protecting the nation's air,
> water, and land. Individuals need a basic grounding in science to be able to
> take part in the discussion of these issues. Without that knowledge, they
> can't participate in the democratic process and become alienated not only
> from the discussion, but from the community. The Academy has a profound
> responsibility to make reliable, accessible scientific information available
> to inform these deliberations and to help find sensitive and workable
> solutions to these pressing issues."
>
> When asked whom they trust as a reliable source of information about the
> environment and the natural world, the public overwhelmingly looks to
> scientists for a reliable perspective. Teachers ranked a distant second,
> while government officials and business leaders tied for last place.
>
> Scientists 64%
> Teachers 15%
> Reporters 6%
> Government Officials 3%
> Business Leaders 3%
>
> By giving the public the tools to evaluate scientific arguments, they gain a
> better ability to judge the trustworthiness of the information they hear.
> Such knowledge would help frame more open and productive discussions of
> difficult issues.
> While the public recognizes its declining scientific understanding, it also
> expresses deep interest in scientific topics and a desire to know more. The
> vast majority of all adults say they are either "very" or "moderately"
> interested in:
>
> Environmental Issues (95%)
> The Future of Energy Resources (94%) ·
> Scientific Discoveries (92%)
>
> Large numbers of Americans say knowing more about science and the way it
> works would help them to:
>
> *Make more informed choices for their own health and physical well-being
> (88%)
> *Satisfy their own curiosity (83%) Make more informed choices as consumers
> (83%)
> *Make more informed choices for their children (78%)
> *Make more informed voting decisions (62%)
>
> The public strongly recognizes the ability of science to improve and enrich
> their lives, and demonstrates the belief that greater knowledge of science
> would help them be better parents, consumers, and citizens.
>
> The Academy's survey found that more than 3 out of 4 people (77%) say there
> is a lot of stress placed on the natural world today, and 69% say the
> actions of humans are a major factor in causing this stress. Two-thirds of
> Americans (66%) voice concern about the impact the current extinction of
> species has on humans. And the public expresses a resounding sense of their
> interrelationship with the earth's living systems - a strong majority (88%)
> say they feel a connection to the natural world.
>
> But the public isn't sure what they can do to help. Only 23% feel very
> knowledgeable about environmental issues and only 1 in 5 (21%) feel very
> knowledgeable about what they can do personally to protect the natural
> world.
>
> These dramatic findings emphasize the growing need and hunger for reliable
> explanations of the complex and changing body of scientific knowledge. In
> recognition of this national need, the California Academy of Sciences is
> announcing plans for a comprehensive upgrade and re-design of its public
> spaces, exhibition halls, Web site, educational resources, and scientific
> research facilities. The Academy will use the results from its survey in the
> development of innovative exhibitions and educational initiatives that will
> unite people with the sciences and with nature in profound, new ways.
>
> Founded in 1853, the Academy is the only cultural institution in the United
> States that combines a major aquarium, planetarium, and a natural history
> museum. The Academy is also one of the country's premiere centers for
> research in the natural sciences. The Academy has a staff of 30 Ph.D.-level
> scientists - supported by more than 100 Research and Field Associates and
> over 300 Fellows - who launch dozens of expeditions each year to explore the
> natural world and discover more about our planet.
>
> Given the high level of trust the public shows in information presented by
> scientists, the California Academy of Sciences has both an opportunity and a
> responsibility to interpret for the public the key scientific issues that
> are changing our world. In its new exhibitions and programs the Academy will
> use its extensive scientific expertise to bridge the scientific knowledge
> gap, provide reliable information to help the public understand conservation
> issues, reveal possible implications of human activities, and suggest
> positive steps for personal involvement.
> http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20010327213804data_trunc_sys.shtml
>
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