Evolution and climate education update: August 24, 2018

[Glenn Branch]

Dear friends of NCSE,

Craig A. Foster of the US Air Force Academy and NCSE's Glenn Branch
discuss polling data about public opinion about the shape of the Earth
for Scientific American's blog.

POLLING THE FLAT EARTH

Writing for Scientific American's blog (August 21, 2018), Craig A.
Foster of the US Air Force Academy and NCSE's Glenn Branch discuss
what "seems to have been the first systematic attempt to assess the
American population's views on the shape of the Earth."

Despite ambiguities in the details provided by the pollster, Foster
and Branch concluded that younger people were less likely to agree
with the scientifically established view of the shape of the Earth,
although apparently not as less likely as previously reported. The
reason is not because they are more likely to agree that the Earth is
flat, however, but because they are more likely to be uncertain or
ambivalent about the shape of the Earth. The reason for their
uncertainty or ambivalence is unclear, and further survey research
will be needed.

Foster and Branch conclude with the moral that although "the results
of a single public opinion survey are by no means authoritative ...
reliable and transparent survey research is crucial in considering
public understanding and acceptance of science."

For Foster and Branch's blog post for Scientific American, visit:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/do-people-really-think-earth-might-be-flat/

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website --
https://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on
evolution and climate education and threats to them.

--
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Oakland CA 94612-2922
510-601-7203
fax 510-788-7971
bra...@ncse.com
https://ncse.com

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