Study tracks attitudes from adolescence to adulthood
March for Science, 2017. Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash.
Science fascinates us as children and challenges us as adults, a 33-year study by a team of researchers including NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch reveals. From the spark of curiosity in middle school to nuanced understanding in midlife, our attitudes toward science and technology shift dramatically, shaped by education, career paths, and life experiences.
The study, part of the Longitudinal Study of American Life, followed nearly 3,000 participants from 7th grade into their 40s, offering insights into how perceptions of science grow and mature. Since 1987, the research has tracked students from Generation X — the first group to grow up with the internet — making it one of the most extended studies in the United States.
Led by Jon D. Miller, research scientist emeritus at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, the team discovered that our views about science develop along two main routes: appreciation of its benefits and apprehension of its risks.
“Substantively, we found that high school students develop broadly positive attitudes about science but tend to see science in terms of the things it produces,” Miller said. “Few high school students visualize the scientific community as a group of people seeking to understand nature and our world. They are less likely to have concerns or reservations about science.”
“Attitudes toward science become more complex in the years after high school as young adults make choices about college and career that determine whether science and technology become central to their lives or recede into the background,” Branch added.
The findings have significant implications for educators, policymakers, and science communicators. By understanding how attitudes toward science develop, society can better nurture curiosity in young minds and address concerns as they arise in adulthood.
“Science is not just a collection of facts,” Miller said. “It’s a lens through which we understand the world, and that lens changes as we grow.” For Generation X and beyond, the study shows that our relationship with science is a lifelong story shaped by curiosity, critical thinking, and the ever-present push to learn more.
The study, “The development of attitudes toward science and technology: a longitudinal analysis of Generation X,” was published in the journal Science and Public Policy. Besides Miller and Branch, the authors are Belén Laspra and Carmelo Polino of the University of Oviedo in Spain, Mark S. Ackerman of the University of Michigan, and Robert T. Pennock of Michigan State University.
