Scientists Rock! Just Not as Much as Before

A new survey finds the American love affair with science is slipping.

Scientists rank right behind military folks and teachers in terms of how we think they contribute to society, according to the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"Overwhelming majorities say that science has had a positive effect on society and that science has made life easier for most people," Pew analysts say. "Most also say that government investments in science, as well as engineering and technology, pay off in the long run."

But ...

Significantly fewer Americans (27 percent today) think scientific advances are one of this country's most important achievements compared to a decade ago (47 percent in 1999).

Some of that slide may have to do with the moon landing 40 years ago (on July 20, 1969) and the fact that we've never gone back or beyond. A decade ago, 18 percent cited space exploration and the moon landing as the country's top achievement of the 20th century. Today 12 percent see it as the greatest achievement of the past 50 years.

Meanwhile, scientists don't look upon the public so favorably. Some 85 percent of scientists surveyed see the public's lack of scientific knowledge as a major problem for science.