Are Americans Really Anti-Science? - Livestream

Lately, there has been much discussion in the media and even in academic journals about the supposed rise of “anti-science” in the United States. Examples tend focus on climate change, evolution, and vaccination. But what about science in general? Are Americans truly anti-science in the sense of rejecting all of science? Research shows that in the decades since the end of the Second World War, American adults actually have held strong positive attitudes about the benefits of science and technology and fewer concerns or reservations about science and technology broadly. I will discuss the reasons for this general approval of science. Looking to the future, I will discuss the challenges in the 21st century to maintaining strong positive attitudes toward science and increasing the level of civic scientific literacy in the U.S. and similar industrial countries.

Speaker: Jon Miller, University of Michigan

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