The acceptance of evolution: A developmental view of Generation X in the United States.

The public acceptance of evolution remains a contentious issue in the United States. Numerous investigations have used national cross-sectional studies to examine the factors associated with the acceptance or rejection of evolution. This analysis uses a 33-year longitudinal study that followed the same 5000 public-school students from grade 7 through midlife (ages 45-48) and is the first to do so in regard to evolution. A set of structural equation models demonstrate the complexity and changing nature of influences over these three decades. Parents and local influences are strong during the high school years. The combination of post-secondary education and occupational and family choices demonstrate that the 15 years after high school are the switchyards of life.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in a polarized political system: Lessons from the 2020 election.

Given the deep polarization of the American political system in recent decades, was the 2020 presidential election an extension of the pre-existing partisan coalitions or did the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic consequences have a significant impact on the outcome? Using a national probability sample provided by AmeriSpeak and voter verification provided by Catalist, we construct a structural equation model to examine the relative influence of age, race, gender, education, religious fundamentalism, ideological partisanship, affective partisanship, and measures of Covid-19 experiences and understanding to predict the 2020 vote. We re-construct the partisan polarization landscape to examine the role of politically interested non-partisans in the center of the ideological spectrum and examine their ability to select candidates in response of specific issues. The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant marginal impact on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Public attitude toward Covid-19 vaccination: The influence of education, partisanship, biological literacy, and coronavirus understanding.

The Covid-19 pandemic posed new issues about vaccination and contagious diseases that had not been the focus of public policy debate in the United States since the tuberculosis pandemic of the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Using a national address-based probability sample of American adults in 2020 and a structural equation model, this analysis seeks to understand the role of education, age, gender, race, education, partisanship, religious fundamentalism, biological literacy, and understanding of the coronavirus to predict individual intention concerning taking the Covid-19 vaccine. Given the substantial changes in the United States since the tuberculosis pandemic, it is important to understand the factors that drive acceptance and hesitancy about Covid-19 vaccination. We find that education, biological literacy, and understanding of the coronavirus were strong positive predictors of willingness to be vaccinated and religious fundamentalism and conservative partisanship were strong negative predictors of intent to vaccinate. These results should be encouraging to the scientific community.

Public understanding of science and technology in the Internet era.

When this journal was launched in 1992, there was a growing consensus among political and academic leaders that a broad understanding of science and technology was necessary for economic prosperity and democratic governance. This was more of an intuitive judgment than an empirical one. After 30 years of data collection and analysis, it appears that these early expectations were largely correct, but the value of the last three decades of social and psychological research is that we now have a firmer empirical basis for these beliefs and expectations. This essay outlines the impact of the growth of science and technology and the development of new information technologies that have changed the ways that individuals obtain information. I will discuss the implications of these changes for democracy in the 21st century.

Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 1985-2020.

The public acceptance of evolution in the United States is a long-standing problem. Using data from a series of national surveys collected over the last 35 years, we find that the level of public acceptance of evolution has increased in the last decade after at least two decades in which the public was nearly evenly divided on the issue. A structural equation model indicates that increasing enrollment in baccalaureate-level programs, exposure to college-level science courses, a declining level of religious fundamentalism, and a rising level of civic scientific literacy are responsible for the increased level of public acceptance.

The impact of the Great Recession on the ability of parents to fund their children's college education.

In the United States, most families in the middle class or higher are expected to finance a significant portion of the cost of their children's college education. Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Life (LSAL), we analyse the impact of the Great Recession (GR) on the beliefs about responsibility and plans of parents in their mid- to late thirties to finance the post-secondary education costs of their children. Results demonstrate that the GR was unrelated to parents' beliefs about their responsibility to finance their children's post-secondary education, but it was associated with their plans for financing it. Parents who experienced a positive net impact of the GR were more likely to report having a savings plan and being able to borrow money if needed. Parents who experienced a negative net impact of the GR were more likely to report that their child needed a grant, scholarship or loan. College-educated parents were more likely to believe that parents have primary responsibility for financing their children's education and to have a savings plan in place. However, parents who had had a student loan themselves and who had more children pursuing college were more likely to believe that parents have partial financial responsibility and that children should also contribute financially by getting grants, scholarships and loans.

The impact of the Great Recession on Generation X.

For people born in the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes known as Generation X, the Great Recession (GR) was the first major economic downturn that they have experienced. Using the 30+ year record of the Longitudinal Study of American Life (LSAL), this analysis examines the economic impact of the GR on an American cohort born in 1972-75 who were in their mid-40s in 2019. A confirmatory factor analysis index was constructed to summarise the economic experience of each LSAL participant in the period from 2007 (the eve of the GR) through 2014. Most of the LSAL participants did not experience negative economic consequences, but a significant subset of participants experienced substantial negative effects. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to estimate the relative influence of several educational and family variables on the nature and magnitude of the GR on employment and related economic issues. Educational attainment was the strongest predictor of the economic impact of the GR on individuals. The educational attainment of the parents of LSAL participants was the second strongest predictor, indicating the inherited advantages of social class. The impact of the GR on participants was unrelated to gender, but African-Americans were more likely to experience negative economic consequences from the GR than other young adults, holding constant differences in educational attainment, parent education attainment and other factors.

Measuring cancer clinical trial understanding.

Researchers, practitioners, and participants in cancer clinical trials must have a clear understanding of clinical trials if participation in them is to be solicited ethically and effectively. A valid and reliable measure of cancer clinical trial understanding did not exist prior to a 2005 study conducted for the Coalition of Cooperative Cancer Groups. This report outlines a measure derived from that study, discusses the rationale for its component items, examines its psychometric properties, and demonstrates the relationship of this measure to the enrollment decision. Data from national samples of cancer survivors and the general public demonstrate the measure's validity and reliability. Results are discussed as they relate to patient understanding of clinical trials, informed decision making, and health communication processes.

Physician-related factors involved in patient decisions to enroll onto cancer clinical trials.

The development of new cancer therapies requires additional, and more complex, clinical trials. But only approximately 3% to 5% of adult cancer patients participate in cancer clinical trials. This study seeks to identify and understand the attitudes of the public and cancer survivors toward health-related decisions and cancer clinical trials to identify the key factors that must be addressed to increase that percentage.

Public attitudes toward participation in cancer clinical trials.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to understand the attitudes of American adults toward participation in cancer clinical trials. METHODS: A national probability sample of 1,000 adults aged 18 and older living in noninstitutional settings was interviewed by telephone by Harris Interactive during March and April 2000. One participant was selected from each household selected for the study. The resulting data were weighted to reflect the full adult population of the United States as reported in Current Population Reports. An Index of Participation in a Cancer Clinical Trial was computed, using a confirmatory factor analysis and converting the factor scores into a 0-to-100 scale. RESULTS: Approximately 32% of American adults (64 million individuals) indicate that they would be very willing to participate in a cancer clinical trial if asked to do so. An additional 38% of adults (76 million individuals) scored in a range that indicates that they are inclined to participate in a cancer clinical trial if asked, but hold some questions or reservations about participation. Projected rates of diagnosis, eligibility, and recruitment indicate that substantially more patients are willing to participate than are actually accrued. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the primary problem with accrual is not the attitudes of patients, but rather that the loss of potential participants is the result of the unavailability of an appropriate clinical trial and the disqualification of large numbers of patients. The pool of willing patients is further reduced by the reluctance of some physicians to engage in accrual.

Attitudes toward biotechnology in the European Union.

Public attitudes toward biotechnology in the European Union have been characterized as negative using Eurobarometer data, but so far little attention has been paid to building a robust metric appropriate for emerging public opinion issues which combine high salience with very limited knowledge by the public. On the basis of the general literature about the formation and structure of attitudes and about public perceptions of science, this article presents a new metric and analysis: first, for estimating the level of awareness and knowledge of biotechnology in Europe; second, for assessing the stability and depth of these evaluative perceptions; and third, for exploring the roles of canonical socio-demographic variables, the knowledge variable and general attitudinal schemas for understanding the perceptions of both benefits and risks of biotech applications. The results show the importance of general value orientations or "worldviews" in shaping positive attitudes, and more of these general cognitive schemas should be measured in future research. The same multivariate model was unable to account for a significant percentage of the total variance in the perception of risks, suggesting that new measures are needed to tap this critical area in the acceptance of biotech in Europe.