Now, I would like to ask you a few short questions like those you might see on a television game show. for each statement that I read, please tell me if it is true or false. If you don't know or aren't sure, just tell me so, and we will skip to the next question. Remember true, false, or don't know. D. Lasers work by focusing sound waves. (Is that true or false?)
Science quiz: lasers focus sound waves · Asked in 7 waves, 2006–2018 · 9,116 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| Group | True | False | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 32% | 68% | 1175 | ±4 | |
| Northeast | 28% | 72% | 180 |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 2018 | 2018-04-12 to 2018-11-10 | face to face | 2,348 | 1,175 |
| General Social Survey 2016 | 2016-04-05 to 2016-11-19 | face to face | 2,867 | 1,390 |
| General Social Survey 2014 | 2014-03-31 to 2014-10-13 | face to face | 2,538 | 1,239 |
| General Social Survey 2012 | 2012-03-20 to 2012-09-05 | face to face | 1,974 | 1,002 |
| General Social Survey 2010 | 2010-03-15 to 2010-08-12 | face to face | 2,044 | 941 |
| General Social Survey 2008 | 2008-04-17 to 2008-09-13 | face to face | 2,023 | 1,505 |
| General Social Survey 2006 | 2006-03-07 to 2006-08-07 | face to face | 4,510 | 1,864 |
| ±9 |
| Midwest | 32% | 68% | 254 | ±8 |
| South | 40% | 60% | 475 | ±5 |
| West | 24% | 76% | 266 | ±8 |
General Social Survey 2018 · 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.