What is scientific literacy?
Adapted from Kahan (2015)
Defined just as knowledge of particular scientific facts (say, about the size of atoms or how medical trials are done), it greater scientific literacy/comprehension does not predict greater trust in consensus science or concern about issues that are matters of high scientific consensus, like human-caused climate change (see Kahan 2015). But this is far from the only way of thinking about scientific literacy.
This project is an attempt to create a measure of a more social conception of scientific literacy (or "the understanding of science") that focuses on the the social structure of science.
Our preliminary data — using a draft of such a measure, the Social Structure of Science Index (or SSSI) — suggests that people who enjoy greater degrees of this understanding are more willing to trust consensus science and that this sort of understanding admits of less political polarization than do comparable measures. Before we attempt to replicate this result with a large, nationally-representative survey, we need to refine and validate the SSSI.
We need your help! >> Tell us what you think of the survey.
We are particularly interested in whether the questions make sense, are not ambiguous, and that the acceptable/correct answers in fact seem to you acceptable — as general matters, anyway (there will always be exceptions to our generalizations). As an incentive, you may enter a drawing for one of two $25 Starbucks gift cards once you have completed the survey.
> For other projects / papers in progress, see here.
This project is an attempt to create a measure of a more social conception of scientific literacy (or "the understanding of science") that focuses on the the social structure of science.
Our preliminary data — using a draft of such a measure, the Social Structure of Science Index (or SSSI) — suggests that people who enjoy greater degrees of this understanding are more willing to trust consensus science and that this sort of understanding admits of less political polarization than do comparable measures. Before we attempt to replicate this result with a large, nationally-representative survey, we need to refine and validate the SSSI.
We need your help! >> Tell us what you think of the survey.
We are particularly interested in whether the questions make sense, are not ambiguous, and that the acceptable/correct answers in fact seem to you acceptable — as general matters, anyway (there will always be exceptions to our generalizations). As an incentive, you may enter a drawing for one of two $25 Starbucks gift cards once you have completed the survey.
> For other projects / papers in progress, see here.