I've posted on general scientific literacy broken down by demographic groups in the GSS. I've also pointed to data which suggested that the lower scientific literacy of church goers vis-a-vis non-church goers is an due mostly to the influence of Young Earth Creationism. Finally, I put up a post which suggested that Americans aren't that scientifically inept in the international context. So I thought I would repost the raw responses to various questions. Charts below the fold, but to explain the title, here's the difference between the 18-24 demographic and the over 65 demographic in terms of correct responses to various questions: The center of the Earth is very hot. (True) 14 point advantage to the young All radioactivity is man-made. (False) 1 point advantage to the old Lasers work by focusing sound waves. (False) 17 point advantage to the young Electrons are smaller than atoms. (True) 24 point advantage to the young The universe began with a huge explosion. (True) 2 point advantage to the old The continents on which we live have been moving their location for millions of years and will continue to move in the future. (True) 22 point advantage to the young Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go around the Earth? (Earth around Sun) 20 point advantage to the young How long does it take for the Earth to go around the Sun: one day, one month, or one year? (One year) 34 point advantage to the young It is the father's gene that decides whether the baby is a boy or a girl. (True) 3 point advantage to the young Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. (False) 3 point advantage to the young Human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals. (True) 20 advantage to the young Now, I know that Continental Drift was not the scientific consensus when the over 65 set were youth, but I think evolutionary theory predates any of the seniors in the survey. I suspect part of the issue here is just confusion, and I think it goes to show the importance of reflective acuity in scientific response, since many scientific truths, such as heliocentrism, do not reflexively follow form intuition. I know the charts are occluded, so you can view the originals here, though you might just view the image itself via Firefox by right-clicking (don't know what you IE and Safari people have to do).
