Most people in the United States rely on federal science in their daily lives but don't realize it, a new nationwide poll of U.S. adults shows.
The poll was conducted in early April by the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the association for science museums and other educational science centers in the U.S.
The poll found that on a weekly basis more than 90% of people use weather forecasts, job market reports, food safety warnings and other information that is based on federal science. But only 10% of respondents are concerned that cuts to federal support for science might impact their access to such information.
The Trump administration has made deep budget and personnel cuts to federal agencies that collect weather data and do safety inspections at factories that make food and prescription drugs, among many science-related functions.
The association conducted the poll to understand current attitudes about science in the U.S. and inform how their member institutions, which include science museums, aquariums and zoos, can better serve the public.
"I think there is a gap between what people use and their understanding of where that information comes from," says Erica Kimmerling, a senior adviser for the Association of Science and Technology Centers who was involved in the poll. She says that gap isn't particularly surprising because everyday information that is based on federal data, such as weather forecasts, "doesn't have a label that says 'brought to you by the federal government'."
Americans rely on federal data about the weather, economy and food supply
Weather forecasts are one of the most ubiquitous federal science products in American life, the poll found. The vast majority of those polled said they use weather forecasts on a day-to-day basis. All U.S. weather forecasts, including those on nightly TV broadcasts, in the newspaper and on phone apps, rely on a host of federally supported data.
That includes weather data compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from ocean buoys, balloons, aircraft and ships, as well as data from satellites that are built, launched and maintained by NASA. The data is then pulled together into local extreme weather warnings that are written and distributed by National Weather Service local offices across the country.
About half of respondents said they rely on economic data from the government, including job market reports and information about inflation. The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve compile and publish those reports.
And Americans also rely on the federal government for food safety and public health information, the poll found. About a third of respondents said they use food safety information, influenza updates and other public health information to make day-to-day decisions. The Department of Health and Human Services makes such information available to the public.
"The poll showed how frequently Americans count on federally provided data in their everyday lives. Everything from weather data to information about food safety to economic data," says Arati Prabhakar, a retired federal science official and venture capitalist who has run multiple federal science programs in her career including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Prabhakar was not involved in the poll.
People of both parties think science is important for prosperity
Political polarization around trust in science has grown in the last 25 years, and today Republicans trust scientists at much lower rates than Democrats.
But the new poll suggests there is some agreement across party affiliation. It found 90% of respondents think federal investment in STEM education is important for future economic prosperity, and the majority of respondents from both parties are concerned about policy changes that might make it harder for the U.S. to attract and retain top scientists.
"This is a point of some ideological alignment," says Eve Klein, a senior adviser for the Association of Science and Technology Centers who was involved in the poll.
The Trump administration has canceled or put on hold billions of dollars of federal research grants that pay scientists across the country.
The poll was conducted online during the first week of April and surveyed just over 1,000 adults across the U.S.
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