Survey research on public attitudes toward and understanding of science has been plagued by a lack of theoretical focus. The objective of this application is to develop new measures that previous surveys on this topic have yet to address. The rationale for this project is that it will create the foundation for a vibrant research community that can examine how social groups vary in their trust and their distrust of organized science.
Intellectual Merit The proposed research will accomplish this objective by pursuing two aims. The first aim is to bring together scholars from multiple backgrounds to discuss the core issues related to the cultural authority of science, provide new perspectives on existing data, and suggest measures for future surveys. This aim will be completed by organizing an expert panel that will bring together scholars who possess specialized knowledge related to the overlap of social theory and public opinion, social studies of science, survey research on public understanding of science, current data archives, and the development of public opinion questionnaires. The second aim is to develop new measures and collect new data to examine the social and cultural factors that shape the cultural authority of science in the public sphere. Building on the knowledge gained from the expert panel described above, the next step will be to collect new survey data using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The survey will consist of new items that previous national surveys have overlooked and will allow us to address new issues and develop measures for future NSF surveys.
Potential Broader Impacts The outcomes of this project will have wide-ranging benefits. First, the outcome of the expert panel will be a summary report that will be publically available. Second, the project involves the development of a new questionnaire and dataset that will be shared with other researchers. These outcomes will directly benefit the NSF's survey on public understanding of science and the broader social science research community. In addition, research will be presented at professional meetings and disseminated to local and national news media. Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms that the divide the public sphere will help the NSF and other scientific organizations engage the public and improve public participation in science, both among adults and children.
