Only 6% of Scientists view themselves as Republicans!

The comparable figure for Dems is 55%. Here's the data:

%who are Public% Scientists%
Democratic 35 55
Republican 23 6
Independent 34 32

Ideolog. self-rating
Liberal 20 52
Moderate 38 35
Conservative 37 9

This is from a Pew Research piece on science and scientists, Public
Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media

I am reminded of the idea that the truth has a liberal persuasion.

I understand the partisan split fairly easily. It has a great deal with
how Republicans have tried to position themselves, to whom they have
appealed for their base.

Too many Republicans:

deny global warming and/or its human causes

deny evolution

are young earth creationists

reject any science that might show liability for corporations on

water pollution

air pollution

health affects of dietary fat

health affects of tobacco

I am sure you can add to the items above.

As a teacher in a school with a science and technology program, I also
note how many who self-identify as Republicans are hostile to public
schools:

they want to unfund public schools

they want to insert their non-scientific viewpoints into curricula

they want to limit/challenge teaching of evolution/cosmology/etc

they opposed distributing An Inconvenient Truth to schools

The more people are educated, especially but not exclusively about
science, the less likely they are to support the current direction of
many in the Republican party.

Perhaps this is also why some "conservatives" do not want us to teach
critical thinking to our students, because students who can think
critically can appropriately evaluate science and also deconstruct the
lies often offered by conservatives.

There is much else in the survey report. It is worth reading for those.



Excerpted from a piece on KOS.


6% vs. 55%.


snerk