Now, for a slightly different type of question. When you read news stories, you see certain sets of words and terms. We are interested in how many people recognize certain kinds of terms. First, some articles refer to the results of a scientific study. When you read or hear the term scientific study, do you have a clear understanding of what it means, a general sense of what it means, or little understanding of what it means?
Understanding of the term scientific study · Asked in 7 waves, 2006–2018 · 8,891 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.
| Group | Clear understanding | General sense | Little understanding | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents |
| 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 | 716 |
| 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 |
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.
| 27% |
| 51% |
| 22% |
| 1175 |
| ±4 |
| Democrats | 27% | 53% | 20% | 376 | ±6 |
| Independents (incl. leaners) | 26% | 47% | 27% | 498 | ±5 |
| Republicans | 26% | 59% | 16% | 248 | ±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.