US Voters Have Gloomy View of US Science Future

Less than half of US voters polled think that the US will be the world's leader in science and technology by 2020.

Of the 1005 likely voters polled, 47% said they thought the United States would lead the world in health care by 2020—though the poll did not define which factors would play into that designation. More than a quarter of respondents said they weren't sure which nation would hold that title in 8 years, while 18% speculated that it would be the European Union. The rest of the responses split among China, India, and Brazil. Only 42% said they thought the United States would retain its position as the world leader in science and technology by 2020, while 26% predicted China would assume that mantle, and 23% chose India.

And yet, we are still cutting back severely on research in many fronts, especially in the physical sciences.

Zz.