| Table 7-14 |
| Public perceptions of various groups' impartiality in making policy recommendations about public issues: 2010 or most recent year |
| (Percent and mean score) |
| |
| |
Extent to which group would support
(on scale of 1 to 5) |
|
|
|
| Public issue/group |
What is best
for country
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
Own narrow
interests
1 |
|
Don't know |
Mean score |
| |
| Global warming |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Environmental scientists |
42 |
22 |
18 |
7 |
7 |
|
4 |
3.9 |
| Elected officials |
11 |
10 |
25 |
22 |
28 |
|
4 |
2.5 |
| Business leaders |
6 |
4 |
24 |
27 |
34 |
|
4 |
2.2 |
| Genetically modified foods |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Medical researchers |
34 |
29 |
19 |
7 |
6 |
|
5 |
3.8 |
| Elected officials |
6 |
10 |
32 |
25 |
21 |
|
5 |
2.5 |
| Business leaders |
2 |
4 |
25 |
32 |
32 |
|
5 |
2.1 |
| Stem cell research |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Medical researchers |
30 |
28 |
21 |
9 |
7 |
|
5 |
3.7 |
| Elected officials |
6 |
10 |
25 |
26 |
29 |
|
4 |
2.4 |
| Religious leaders |
9 |
10 |
24 |
24 |
27 |
|
6 |
2.5 |
| Nuclear power |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nuclear engineers |
27 |
28 |
22 |
9 |
8 |
|
6 |
3.6 |
| Elected officials |
8 |
16 |
32 |
22 |
17 |
|
6 |
2.7 |
| Business leaders |
6 |
9 |
28 |
28 |
23 |
|
6 |
2.4 |
| Federal income taxes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Economists |
19 |
27 |
28 |
11 |
9 |
|
6 |
3.4 |
| Elected officials |
10 |
11 |
27 |
22 |
24 |
|
6 |
2.6 |
| Business leaders |
5 |
11 |
23 |
29 |
27 |
|
6 |
2.4 |
| |
NOTES: Responses to When making policy decisions about [public issue], to what extent do you think [group] would support doing what is best for the country as a whole or what serves their own narrow interests? Responses on global warming, stem cell research, federal income taxes, and nuclear power are for 2010. Responses on genetically modified foods are for 2006. Mean impartiality score based on 5-point scale, where 5 = best for the country and 1 = own narrow interests. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.
SOURCE: University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey (2006, 2010). See appendix table 7-30.
Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 |
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