<\/a>How much of science do people believe? In our 2016 survey, we did not ask \u201cWhat weighs more, a ton of steel or a ton of cotton?\u201d But we did ask people about their understanding of gravity and climate change and other topics. Here are the top findings:*<\/p>\n <\/a>It seems that Republicans have more trouble with scientific knowledge if it is sanctioned by the government. Only 34% of Republicans believe weather forecasts, even though data indicates<\/a> that 48-hour forecasts from the National Weather Service are remarkably accurate. A similar number of Republicans believe information about whether or not a drug is safe, which might in part explain why Republicans are not so supportive of the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). Contributions from pharmaceuticals might also influence Republicans (and Democrats) in Washington.<\/p>\n But as might be expected, in our survey, Republicans were less than half as likely to believe what scientists say about climate change (35%<\/span> to 86%<\/span>). A clear question is whether or not Republicans are just skeptical of scientists who write about climate change, or if this is a different kind of \u201clearned behavior?\u201d Is their thinking influenced by church teachings? What about what Republican office-holders say? If that is so, does it mean that campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies to Republican candidates have a \u201ctrickle down\u201d effect of polluting the thinking of rank-and-file Republicans on climate change? This question is one for further exploration.<\/p>\n Here are a couple of other observations from the survey:<\/p>\n\n