Age divides Americans on science issues just as much as political ideology, a new analysis of recent polling shows.
There are dramatic generation gaps in opinions on global warming, offshore drilling, nuclear power, childhood vaccines, gene modification to reduce a baby’s disease risk, untested medicine use, lab tests on animals, and evolution, according to the Pew Research Center.
Pew analyzed 22 different science issues in a survey of 2,002 people nationwide last August and a few later polls to see what demographic factors divide the nation on science issues.
“The striking story is how different the patterns are depending on what the issue is,” said Lee Rainie, Pew’s director of science issues research. “There is not a one-size-fits-all explanation for the public’s attitudes on science.”
Political ideology remained a key reason for the nation’s divide on climate change and energy use, but when it came to other issues age and factors such as race and education played a bigger role. For example, more than 70% of Democrats and independents who lean toward that party say Earth is warming because of humans, compared to 27% of their Republican counterparts. Likewise, 60% of people under 30 say climate change is real, compared to just 31 percent of people 65 and older.
Similarly, 61% of young people oppose increasing drilling for more energy offshore, while 60% of senior citizens favor it. Among the young, 56% opposed nuclear power, but 575 of seniors favored it.
