Though crude oil continues to be the nation's single biggest import, energy exports have risen sharply. Exports of some metals and agricultural products also have grown rapidly.
The 2010 spill was one of the two biggest stories of the year in terms of news interest. Support for offshore drilling plummeted, but has largely recovered.
Generally, higher-income adults and college degree earners are more likely than others to favor greater availability, and African-Americans are significantly less supportive of the idea.
Two-thirds of Hispanics say the Earth is warming mostly because of human activity like burning fossil fuels, while about half of blacks and 41% of whites say the same.
In a recent Pew Research survey, more respondents said communication skills were most important for children to have, followed by reading, math, teamwork, writing and logic. Science fell somewhere in the middle.
At the AAAS 2015 Annual Meeting, Lee Rainie discussed new findings about how scientists use a variety of methods to bring their work to the general public.
Most scientists (87%) believe it is important to participate in public policy debates. Almost half use social media to discuss or follow science, and nearly a quarter blog about science and research.
Different demographic groups think differently about scientific issues. For example, those more likely to think genetically modified food is unsafe include women, African-Americans and Hispanics, and those without college degrees. Those more likely to say parents should be able to decide whether to vaccinate their children include younger adults, Republicans and independents.
Survey Report An 83% majority of the public says vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are safe for healthy children, while about one-in-ten (9%) think such vaccines are not safe. An additional 7% volunteer that they don’t know. Majorities across virtually every demographic and partisan group view the vaccines as safe. […]
NASA continues to be very popular among the public, with four times as many Americans holding a favorable view of the space agency as unfavorable (68% vs. 17%).
Public views are tied to how these technologies would be used and what constraints would be in place.
Majorities across 20 publics say government investments in scientific research are worthwhile and express a lot or some confidence in scientists to do what is right for the public.
Majorities of Americans say the United States should prioritize the development of renewable energy sources and take steps toward the country becoming carbon neutral by the year 2050.
Majorities say scientific research on gene editing is a misuse of technology. But public acceptance of gene editing for babies depends on how it will be used, and views often differ by age and religion.
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
