Table 4. Views about scientific concepts and the impact of technology.
| Question | Response (%) |
|---|---|
| 1. Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings? | |
| a. Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process. |
42.9 |
| b. Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process. |
1.8 |
| c. God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so. | 55.3 |
| 2. What is your opinion about teaching the concept of Intelligent Design in a biology course? | |
| a. I approve. | 39.5 |
| b. I disapprove. | 7.2 |
| c. I have no opinion on this issue. | 53.3 |
| 3. What is your opinion about parents who do not vaccinate their children because they believe vaccination may lead to autism? | |
| a. I agree with such parents. | 2.5 |
| b. I disagree with such parents. | 74.3 |
| c. I have no opinion on this issue | 23.2 |
| 4. What is your opinion on the issue of climate change? | |
| a. Climate change is real; the earth is warming due to human activity. | 52.3 |
| b. There are no valid data suggesting that climate change is real | 18.9 |
| c. I have no opinion on this issue. | 28.8 |
| 5. Because of their professional emphasis on reason and empirical observation, it is generally more difficult for people trained in science to maintain religious faith. | |
| a. True. | 29.1 (40) |
| b. False. | 70.9 (60) |
| 6. The concepts of science are frequently in conflict with the revealed word of God. | |
| a. True. | 14.7 (41.1) |
| b. False. | 85.3 (58.9) |
| 7. The technological and scientific advances of the past centuries have changed the world. There are many negative consequences of this, however, because the changes wrought by science are often unnatural. For example, synthetic fertilizers, refined food, food preservatives, and insecticides are not part of the natural world and are incompatible with it. As a result, mankind suffers. | |
| I agree. | 29.4 (24.7) |
| I disagree. | 70.6 (75.3) |
| 8. Extensive testing by the United States government has shown the drug Laetrile (an extract from apricot pits) to be ineffective in the cure of cancer. The drug cannot be legally used in the United States; it is legal in Mexico. Do you agree with the following statement? “the ban on Laetrile should be lifted. People should be allowed to exercise their own agency in using the material, even though tests have proven it is without value? | |
| I agree. | 37.8 (32.9) |
| I disagree. | 62.2 (67.1) |
| 9. It is immoral to tamper with human genes be altering, adding to, or eliminating part of the complement of DNA which an individual has inherited over generations by natural means. | |
| I agree | 51.6 (47.6) |
| I disagree | 48.4 (52.4) |
| 10. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that higher life forms–even mammals–produced by genetically engineering DNA sequences may be patented. Industrial leaders are pleased and see the ruling as helping to protect their investments. Critics express anxiety about the safety and morality of tempering with life forms. Do you agree that commercial companies ought to be able to patent such organisms? | |
| Yes. | 26.3 (26.4) |
| No. | 73.7 (73.6) |
Responses are from Cohort 2 (2014–2016). In Questions 5–10, the italicized numbers in parentheses are the average values for 10,774 students in the course in Cohort 1 (1987–1996).