Events
Michael Macy
Recent surveys show that public confidence in science remains high, yet sizable numbers of Americans reject scientific conclusions regarding evolution (42%), climate change (33%), and even heliocentrism (18%). In an era of deepening political polarization, can science bridge the cultural divide? To find out, we used a co-purchase network of millions of political and scientific books as a behavioral indicator of political differences in exposure to science. We found that science does not bridge the political divide, it deepens it. In addition, books in commercially relevant applied science (e.g., medicine, criminology, and geology) are more likely to be co-purchased with conservative books, compared to books oriented more to basic science (e.g. physics, astronomy, and zoology). Finally, liberal books tend to be co-purchased with a much broader sample of science books, indicating that conservatives have more selective interest in science. We conclude that the political left and right share an interest in science in general, but not science in particular.
Want to be notified about upcoming NetSI events?
Sign up for our email list below!
Thank you! You have been added to our email list.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form
Michael Macy
Recent surveys show that public confidence in science remains high, yet sizable numbers of Americans reject scientific conclusions regarding evolution (42%), climate change (33%), and even heliocentrism (18%). In an era of deepening political polarization, can science bridge the cultural divide? To find out, we used a co-purchase network of millions of political and scientific books as a behavioral indicator of political differences in exposure to science. We found that science does not bridge the political divide, it deepens it. In addition, books in commercially relevant applied science (e.g., medicine, criminology, and geology) are more likely to be co-purchased with conservative books, compared to books oriented more to basic science (e.g. physics, astronomy, and zoology). Finally, liberal books tend to be co-purchased with a much broader sample of science books, indicating that conservatives have more selective interest in science. We conclude that the political left and right share an interest in science in general, but not science in particular.
