A Test of Three Theories of Anti-Science Attitudes

Abstract

Abstract Science has become a key social institution in the contemporary United States. Recent high profile debates regarding the scientific validity of intelligent design in Pennsylvania and Kansas signal the need for social scientific understanding of people's attitudes toward science in the contemporary United States. Using the 1993 General Social Survey (GSS), this study compares three different explanations of anti-science (i.e., negative attitudes toward science). The first theory suggests that a lack of scientific knowledge engenders anti-science attitudes. The second perspective points toward strong religious faith or evangelical beliefs as the primary impetus of anti-science attitudes. A third approach suggests anti-science attitudes are a result of the social context of individuals. All three explanatory factors contribute to our understanding of anti-science.