NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2018/08/24
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2018-08-24 14:59.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, Craig A. Foster of the US Air Force Academy and NCSE's Glenn Branch discuss polling data about public opinion about the shape of the Earth for Scientific American's blog.
POLLING THE FLAT EARTH Writing for Scientific American's blog (August 21, 2018), Craig A. Foster of the US Air Force Academy and NCSE's Glenn Branch discuss what "seems to have been the first systematic attempt to assess the American population's views on the shape of the Earth." Despite ambiguities in the details provided by the pollster, Foster and Branch concluded that younger people were less likely to agree with the scientifically established view of the shape of the Earth, although apparently not as less likely as previously reported. The reason is not because they are more likely to agree that the Earth is flat, however, but because they are more likely to be uncertain or ambivalent about the shape of the Earth. The reason for their uncertainty or ambivalence is unclear, and further survey research will be needed. Foster and Branch conclude with the moral that although "the results of a single public opinion survey are by no means authoritative ... reliable and transparent survey research is crucial in considering public understanding and acceptance of science." For Foster and Branch's blog post for Scientific American, visit: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/do-people-really-think-earth-might-be-flat/ Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- https://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution and climate education and threats to them. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600 Oakland CA 94612-2922 510-601-7203 fax 510-788-7971 branch@ncse.com https://ncse.com Check out NCSE's blog: https://ncse.com/blog Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: https://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse https://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd https://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! https://ncse.com/join
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