Science Issues

More than half of U.S. adults (56%) said that widespread use of brain chips to enhance cognitive function would be a bad idea for society.

More Black Americans say health outcomes for Black people in the United States have improved over the past 20 years than say outcomes have worsened.

The share of Americans who say science has had a mostly positive impact on society has fallen 16 percentage points since before the start of the coronavirus outbreak, from 73% in January 2019 to 57% today.

Seven-in-ten Hispanic Americans say they’ve seen a doctor or other health care provider in the past year, compared with 82% among Americans overall.

A majority of Americans believe climate change is causing harm to people in the U.S. today and 63% expect things to get worse in their lifetime.

The share of Americans who say climate scientists understand very well whether climate change is occurring decreased from 37% in 2021 to 32% this year.

A majority of Americans (57%) say they favor more nuclear power plants to generate electricity in the country, up from 43% who said this in 2020.

As the Earth’s temperature continues to rise, climate change remains a lower priority for some Americans, and a subset of the public rejects that it’s happening at all. To better understand the perspectives of those who see less urgency to address climate change, the Center conducted a series of in-depth interviews designed to provide deeper insight into the motivations and views of those most skeptical about climate change.

Two-thirds of Americans say the United States should prioritize developing renewable energy sources over expanding the production of fossil fuels.

Overall, there are about 42.5 million Americans with disabilities, making up 13% of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.