ANALYSIS OF GROUP DIFFERENCES IN SCIENCE LITERACY DATA

Westat Inc, Bethesda MD

Investigators

Abstract

Since the late 1970s, the National Science Foundation has sponsored a series of surveys to gauge public attitudes toward and understanding of science and technology. The scientific community has raised concerns about two of the survey items that have been part of the factual knowledge scale for many years. One of the items is intended to measure understanding of evolution, and the other is about the origins of the universe. In both items, there is a concern that a respondent?s answer may not be measuring scientific knowledge, but rather some aspect of religious belief. This potential interaction of religious belief and knowledge may vary among religious groups, and therefore influence the understanding of scientific knowledge in the U.S. population. This proposal focuses on how different wordings of the questions about evolution and the origins of the universe may affect conclusions about science literacy. An experiment in the 2012 General Social Survey varied the question wording of these items by adding ?According to the theory of evolution?? or ?According to astronomers?? to stress that the questions are about the current state of scientific knowledge, not the respondent?s personal beliefs. Preliminary analyses show that higher percentages of the U.S. population answer these versions of the questions correctly than the original versions. This project investigates the measurement properties of these questions more thoroughly. We use confirmatory factor analysis to study measurement equivalence across religious groups on both the original and experimental versions of these science literacy measures. The level of science literacy in the U.S. population can affect many aspects of society. Science literacy serves as a resource for individuals and communities. For example, individuals with higher levels of science literacy can make better decisions about their own health or the health of others. Science literacy can also impact economic growth and development by influencing factors such as the rate of new discoveries and technological development. Hence, it is important for policy makers to understand the level of science literacy in the population. The goal of this proposal is to clarify the degree to which survey questions provide accurate measures of science literacy. It specifically focuses on how different wordings of survey questions about the origins of the universe and evolution may affect how one draws conclusions about science literacy.