For almost twenty-five years the National Science Board has surveyed the
One element of the survey examined individuals’ views about how science is
conducted. The study designers formulated a series of questions aimed at classifying
respondents’ positions on a four level hierarchy of nature of science understanding.
Those at the highest level (Level I) understand that science is concerned with the
development and testing of theory. Those responding who lack this degree of
sophistication, but still have an awareness that experiments require a control group
would be classified as Level II. Individuals at Level III do not have the
comprehension of those in the higher two groups but still see scientific findings
based on a foundation of careful and rigorous comparison with precise
measurements. Those lacking any understanding of the nature of science were
classified as Level IV.
These findings are sobering. Two percent of the two thousand adult respondents
were at Level I, 21 percent were at Level II, 13 percent were at Level III and 64
percent were at Level IV. This finding is sobering. Even as measured by the basic
nature of science elements contained in this study, more than 60 percent of the
American public effectively had no knowledge of how science works.