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Now for another type of question. People have frequently noted that scientific research has produced benefits and harmful results. Would you say that, on balance, the benefits of scientific research have outweighed the harmful results, or have the harmful results of scientific research been greater than its benefits? B. Would you say that the balance has been strongly in favor of the harmful results, or only slightly?
Harmful results strongly outweigh benefits of science · Asked in 8 waves, 2006–2021 · 897 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2021).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2021).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Groups with an effective sample under 50 in a wave are left out of that wave.
| Group | Strongly in favor | Slightly in favor | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 29% | 71% | 85 | ±13 | |
| Democrats † |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 2021 | 2020-12-03 to 2021-05-02 | web | 4,032 | 85 |
| General Social Survey 2018 | 2018-04-12 to 2018-11-10 | face to face | 2,348 | 126 |
| General Social Survey 2016 | 2016-04-05 to 2016-11-19 | face to face | 2,867 | 120 |
| General Social Survey 2014 | 2014-03-31 to 2014-10-13 | face to face | 2,538 | 123 |
| General Social Survey 2012 | 2012-03-20 to 2012-09-05 | face to face | 1,974 | 97 |
| General Social Survey 2010 | 2010-03-15 to 2010-08-12 | face to face | 2,044 | 62 |
| General Social Survey 2008 | 2008-04-17 to 2008-09-13 | face to face | 2,023 | 154 |
| General Social Survey 2006 | 2006-03-07 to 2006-08-07 | face to face | 4,510 | 130 |
| Too few respondents |
| – |
| – |
| 17 |
| ±27 |
| Independents (incl. leaners) † | 22% | 78% | 43 | ±20 |
| Republicans † | 32% | 68% | 24 | ±22 |
General Social Survey 2021 · US adults 18+ living in households (English, and Spanish since 2006). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.