In Science, Americans Like Being Number One, According To New Gallup Survey

Poll Examines Effects on Voting Behavior in 2000 Elections

NEW YORK, July 11, 2000 - Americans say they take pride in our nation's leadership role in science and technology and believe the U.S. needs to continue investing in scientific research and development (R&D) in order to remain at the forefront of discovery and innovation.

The survey found strong support for recent proposals to boost investments in R&D. But, at the same time, many Americans also expressed concern about whether our educational system is preparing students for the challenges that accompany new technologies.

These findings and others are part of a new Gallup survey conducted on behalf of Bayer in partnership with the National Science Foundation that examines public attitudes toward science, technology and education-related issues.

In the survey, The Bayer Facts of Science Education VI: Americans' Views on Science, Technology, Education and the Future, 93 percent say students in their state need a stronger education in science to be prepared for the new inventions, discoveries and technologies that increased investment will likely bring. In fact, 85 percent agreed that improving pre-college science education in their state should be one of their governor's top priorities. Only one in twenty disagreed. Respondents say the way to strengthen science education is for their state and governor to support pre-college science education reforms that emphasize inquiry-based, hands-on learning over traditional textbook and rote memorization.

"Increased R&D funding today means that in 10 to 20 years, we'll be seeing the fruits of those increases. And that guarantees that the adults of tomorrow will have to work and thrive in a world that, scientifically and technologically, will be even more advanced than today's," explains former astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison who serves as science literacy advocate for Bayer's Making Science Make Sense initiative.

Calling it "very likely" most entry-level jobs in the future will require a basic level of science literacy, Americans say they want science to become the fourth "R" for elementary school students, with about two-thirds saying science should be given equal teaching priority with reading, writing and math.

Presidential Priorities and The Future

When informed of U.S. 12th graders recent poor science performance on the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), where U.S. students scored near the bottom compared with students from other countries, Americans believe this year's presidential candidates should be more concerned about science education and science literacy. Some 94 percent of respondents say the presidential candidates should be concerned about these issues, while 57 percent say presidential candidates should be "very concerned."

The reason, the poll suggests, is that Americans see a strong connection between good education and U.S. economic success. Three-quarters agree the poor TIMSS showing is an early warning that U.S. science and technology-related jobs may shift to countries whose citizens have stronger science literacy skills. Americans in all geographic regions expressed concern regarding this question.

Indeed, almost all Americans (93 percent) say it is important for the U.S. to maintain its current global leadership position in science and technology, with about two-thirds (65 percent) calling it "very important." Respondents believe science and technology has been important in establishing U.S. influence in the world (93 percent) and contributing to the country's economic success in the 20th century (93 percent), with roughly two-thirds calling it "very important" to both achievements.

This recognition could be one reason a majority (71 percent) supports the recent proposals to increase investments in the nation's scientific R&D budget. Nearly 90 percent say it is likely that basic research, like that supported by the NSF, will result in brand new industries and business opportunities in the future, the same way NSF-funded research in the 1970's helped to create today's Internet industry.

About 80 percent of Americans believe the speed of new scientific discoveries will be greater in the next 100 years than it was in the last 100; as many (78 percent) think that the impact those discoveries have on the way we live and work will also be greater. When asked to select the one problem they hope science will solve in the next 25 years, more than 60 percent named a health-related problem and "developing a cure for cancer" ranked number one.

Election 2000: "Issues of Choice"

Will science and technology issues make a difference for voters at the booth this November? When the survey respondents were presented with a list of these issues and asked how likely they would be to vote for candidates who support them, the survey found:

• More than 80 percent say they are more likely to vote for a gubernatorial candidate who places a high priority on strengthening science and technology, with 19 percent saying "much more likely."

• In general, 72 percent are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who places a high priority on strengthening science and technology, with 14 percent saying "much more likely."

• Almost 90 percent say they are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports state and local efforts to strengthen science education (21percent "much more likely"), and 82 percent are more likely to vote for the candidate who supports federal efforts in this area (19 percent "much more likely").

• Three-quarters are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports federal efforts to stimulate the country's competitiveness (14 percent "much more likely"), while 73 percent are more likely to vote for a person who supports federal investment in U.S. business innovation (13 percent "much more likely").

• More than half (58 percent) say they are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports federal efforts to make the Internet available to everyone, with 13 percent saying "much more likely." GenXers (18-34) and senior citizens (65+) are the two groups who feel the most strongly about this.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), established in 1950, is the federal government's only agency dedicated to the support of education and fundamental research in all scientific and engineering disciplines. NSF's mission is to ensure that the U.S. maintains leadership in scientific and engineering disciplines, in scientific discovery and in the development of new technologies. NSF has achieved this mission repeatedly over the past 50 years.

Making Science Make Sense is Bayer's companywide initiative that advances science literacy across the United States through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education. Bayer is a research-based company with major businesses in health care and life sciences and chemicals. The company had 1999 sales of $8.9 billion and employs more than 22,200 people.

Results of The Bayer Facts VI are based on telephone interviews with a national sample of 1,003 adults, 18 years of age or older. Interviewing was conducted from May 15 through June 11, 2000. For results based on samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects could be plus or minus three percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls. For a copy of the report, please visit Bayer's web site at www.BayerUS.com.