Only Six Percent Of Scientists Are Republicans: Pew Poll

A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that the GOP is alienating scientists to a startling degree.

Only six percent of America's scientists identify themselves as Republicans; fifty-five percent call themselves Democrats. By comparison, 23 percent of the overall public considers itself Republican, while 35 percent say they're Democrats.

The ideological discrepancies were similar. Nine percent of scientists said they were "conservative" while 52 percent described themselves as "liberal," and 14 percent "very liberal." The corresponding figures for the general public were 37, 20 and 5 percent.

Among the general public, moderates and independents ranked higher than any party or ideology. But among scientists, there were considerably more Democrats (55%) than independents (32%) and Republicans (6%) put together. There were also more liberals (52%) than moderates (35%) and conservatives (9%) combined.

"These results were not a complete surprise," said Scott Keeter, Director of Survey Research at Pew, in an interview with the Huffington Post. He said they can be mostly attributed to "the difference between Democratic and Republican parties with respect to issues."

The wide ideological and partisan gap among scientists may have been exacerbated by the Bush administration, which often disputed broad scientific consensus on topics such as evolution and climate change.

Keeter acknowledged this factor, but said that "many of these disputes probably predate the Bush administration," noting that scientists have favored liberal views in numerous past studies.

Religion also plays a role. Republicans tend to promote the centrality of religion more often than Democrats, and while 95 percent of the public said they believe in "God" or "a higher power," only 51 percent of scientists claimed either.

"Many Republicans, especially the Evangelical wing of the party, are skeptical of evolution, and have argued for the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in school," said Keeter.

The results could merely be a reflection of how scientists see the world, rather than of partisan loyalties. In a series of questions posed, the study found that the answers of scientists were consistently more in line with liberal viewpoints than those of the general public.

"The Republican Party has a number of leaders within it who have challenged the accuracy of scientific findings on issues such as climate change, evolution and stem cell research," Keeter told the Huffington Post.

"It suggests that scientists who are Republicans might feel some dissonance from the party's position on some things that are important to them. And while there are Republicans in the scientist sample, there are really not that many," he said.

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[diahni]

Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know why.

[ReedYoung]

It's disappointing that Pew didn't compare scientists' and non-scientists' views of Bush administration tampering with other professions, especially the CIA. I guess that's still too "controversial" to even ASK about.
[
An overwhelming majority of scientists say they have heard a lot (55%) or a little (30%) about claims that the Bush administration did not allow government scientists to report findings that contradicted administration policy. By contrast, just 10% of the public heard a lot about the claims and 34% heard a little; most say they have heard nothing at all about it.

About three-quarters of scientists (77%) believe the claims about the Bush administration are true, while just 6% say they are false. And virtually all of the scientists who say these claims are true – 71% of scientists overall – believe that these practices occurred more often during the Bush administration than during previous administrations.
]

[Iskandar Langalibalele]

Surely, that conservative six percent of scientists are hard at work proving ketchup is a vegetable, creationism, Noah's Ark and voodoo economics. And before you laugh, some large portion of them, no doubt, are contributing to arms development as well, genetic research, and other sensitive areas.

[fedupinfla]

Hmmm...I truly believe the only science they support is "military science". Making "super soldiers" and biological weapons....

[bija]

During the Bush years, Republicans denied global warming, evolution and most everything scientific. It isn't surprising to me that scientists don't identify themselves as being Republicans.

[AvangionQ]

From the source page: "About three-quarters of scientists (77%) believe the claims [that government scientists could not report findings that conflicted with Bush administration positions] are true, while just 6% say they are false. And virtually all of the scientists who say these claims are true - 71% of scientists overall - believe that these practices occurred more often during the Bush administration than during previous administrations." ... pardon the extended bracket, but needed to insert the originating site's actual claim into the quoted sentence ... that the Bush administration suppressed scientific investigation for political ends is just another scandalous low point in what can easily be claimed as the worst presidency in United States history ...

[BobDobbs757]

Creationism is a pseudo-science targeting the gullible and those who take the Bible word for word literally. Noah's Flood debunked in a small paragraph. We all can agree rain comes down as fresh water with the extremely rare exception of natural acid rain. With the amount of rain added into the ocean a massive salinity change would occur killing off majority of species unable to conform to change. Also, considering 2% of 21,000 species are able to willingly switch saline environment without worries of death. If it was the other way around.. Noah's flood might of happened.

[ReedYoung]

"The results could merely be a reflection of how scientists see the world, rather than of partisan loyalties."

No doubt about it. In the phrase "free scientific inquiry" the first adjective is, indeed, redundant. It's only natural that scientific minds would prefer the party of liberty, the liberal party; and that liberty lovers would be more open to learning facts, whatever they happen to be, meaning to be scientific in our worldview and chosen profession.

[hedonistic-rationalism]

Indeed, reality has a liberal bias..

[ReedYoung]

I agree. Just four physical forces govern the behavior of the entire known universe. The only political leaning that resembles is liberal.

[EconPadawan]

Republican science goes like this...

"Global warming isn't happening because I can walk out of my house in the middle of winter in Colorado and watch it snow."

[Phreaked]

Lol, how about the "carbon is natural not harmful" line

As soon as this was said I wondered what they would say if we wanted to put them in a room and filled it carbon dioxide or if they had ever heard of Chlorofluo­rocarbon's

[Sepulchre]

Let's not forget the brilliant Republican politician that said that cow farts where CO2. Apparently he hadn't even bothered to find out about methane, probably still doesn't know what it is, but he thinks he is an authority on Global Warming.

[Sepulchre]

I am a scientist, and I am not a Republican, acutally I can't think of any colleges I work with on a regular basis that are.

[PeaceIsMyName]

Intesting that most of the scientists, according to the reserach of Pew, believe in God.

[Sepulchre]

Well believing in a higher power is not actually the same as being religious. Most of my colleges are what you would call agnostic. They believe in a higher power, but have distain for organized religion and all the baggage that comes with it.

[hedonistic-rationalism]

Not really true-- only 33% of scientists said they believe in "God" (as opposed to 83% of the public). 18% of scientists said the believe in a "higher power." Pretty huge discrepancy there.

[PeaceIsMyName]

"Higher power" and "God" are the same thing. "Higher power" is just more ambiguous and less specific.
Regardless, the majority of scientists believe in some form of power greater than them.

Now - this is only if you buy the results of this Pew poll (which I don't).

[Demarcus Jackson]

I don't believe that ALL Republicans are anti-science, but I do certainly believe that a lot if not most are. This is a party that implicitly (and at time, explicitly) have denied central cornerstones of the three major physical sciences---biology, physics, and chemistry---and have campaigned and promoted anti-intel­lectualism for over 30 years. I am surprised that they have not alienated more scientists. Republicans---true conservatives---who value secularism, empiricism, and knowledge ought to speak-up and speak loudly and say that they are not apart of the pervasive "cancer of ignorance and blind faith" that runs through much of the party.

[EconPadawan]

Well said.

[majii]

Good point. Now will somebody explain this to the state education board in Texas?

[hedonistic-rationalism]

Texas has a board of education?

[ReedYoung]

[
Republicans---true conservatives---who value secularism, empiricism, and knowledge ought to speak-up and speak loudly and say that they are not apart of the pervasive "cancer of ignorance and blind faith" that runs through much of the party.
]

Meh. I registered Republican, to vote for Ron Paul in the primary. (Can you imagine how good the Paul v. Obama debates would have been?) By the time I got to vote in Oregon last May, the illiterate base had already sabotaged him and my primary vote was purely symbolic.

I'm not a part of that cancer of ignorance and blind faith, and you left off festering hate. I'd rather let the GOP fade away, and the Green Party or a new Progressive Party emerge to reflect the shift of the People away from the agenda of the GOP hierarchy. I think those who control that party are enemies of the Republic, not merely misguided, not redeemable and not amenable to reason. Just look what they do to labor, education, health and the environment -- to the People's best interests.

[Layman23]

6% is a large number. God forbid republicans and science in the same sentence.

[omechengineeru]

You are obviously not one of the scientists b/c 6% is not a big number....

[CryptoSolipsist]

I think he probably means that 6% is larger than expected.

[Sepulchre]

You are right it is a very small number. For example if you were testing a hypothesis you came up with and came before your colleges and said proudly that your hypothesis stood up to testing because the results supported your hypothesis 6% of the time, you would be laughed out of room, and likely not be able to get a another credible job in the sciences.

[Wilbur]

Not surprising. Republicans don't believe in science. They believe in voodoo. Ergo, they would be highlly unlikely to pursue careers in science.

Wilbur

[VegasWolf]

Not necessarily voodoo, but certainly a lack of vigor in their thinking that relies more on anecdotal information and subservience as opposed to a requirement based on empiricism and repeated observations.

When a Jerry Falwell says the god hates this group or that group, all the heads nod in the right direction and the people open up their wallets to thank Falwell for his invaluable translation services.

[JulieSA]

Do you have any peer-reviewed studies on how many Republicans believe in voodoo?

I don't either, but i suspect I could count them without taking off my shoes.

[Benjamin Wylie]

The Journal of Applied Polemics

[ReedYoung]

In other words, you admit to needing fingers and toes to keep count.

[tmc553]

Scientists tend to be intelligent, educated, thinking people, any one of which pretty much disqualifies them from being Republicans. All three together? Not a chance. The 6% were the "scientists" the Bush administration relied up for "scientific fact" that had nothing to do with science, fact or anything other than ignorance..