Poll: Scientific consensus

[Kiyoat Husker]

Just a fun poll to pass the time, and foment discussion....

 

This is similar to one of the questions on a recent Pew Research Foundation Poll on Public trust in science.  Here is a link to the article:

 

http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/12/08/mixed-messages-about-public-trust-in-science/

 

And in case you would like to know the actual level of consensus on these three topics.....

 

Spoiler

All three statements are consensus opinions of the scientific communities that study them.  The most accurate answer for all three of them is "Almost all"

 

*please don't change your answer after reading this!

 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Kiyoat Husker
fixed the link....

[BigRedBuster]

It really goes to show that science denial is possible in many political circles.

 

We just happen to have one side actively trying to destroy America's science community so they don't have to hear about it anymore.

[Kiyoat Husker]

One of the findings of this poll is the strange disconnect between the polled peoples' stated confidence in scientists to give them full and accurate information on those topics, and yet large numbers of Americans thought that there WASN'T a consensus on those conclusions.

 

I blame special interest propaganda.

 

And to be fair, I have seen other studies that indicate that Democrats harbor just as many science skeptics on GMO safety as Republicans, so I am not only pointing a finger at the Right.  I think special interest lobbying, and propaganda is a problem for both parties.

[JJ Husker]

I got them all correct 

Are there people seriously disputing the vaccine or gmo’s? I realize there is the camp disputing human caused climate change and assorted crackpots carrying on about vaccines but I guess I haven’t seen widespread dissension on 2 of these.

[Moiraine]

I just don't understand why people who don't know anything about a topic act like they know better than scientists who put their whole lives into it.

They think it's more likely that all the scientists got together to lie to them rather than believe that the politicians are saying something because it benefits them.

[Moiraine]

33 minutes ago, Comfortably Numb said:

I got them all correct 

Are there people seriously disputing the vaccine or gmo’s? I realize there is the camp disputing human caused climate change and assorted crackpots carrying on about vaccines but I guess I haven’t seen widespread dissension on 2 of these.

 

 

There are plenty of vaccine crackpots. I know one.

As for the GMOs I know lots of people who just want the GMO foods to be labelled as such.

[Making Chimichangas]

I want to start out by saying that I do believe our climate is changing.  However...

 

Is it caused by humans?

 

Skeptical that there is global warming on Mars?

 

I do believe our climate is changing.  Are humans a (or the sole) cause?    

 

As for genetically modified food, I don't necessarily have a problem with it and can see the benefits of it.  Imagine crops that are resistant to drought, bugs, etc.  Seems like there's a lot of potential there.  And plus, anyone want to go back to seeds in grapes?  Or has anyone seen a non-GMO tomato?  It seriously looks nothing like the perfectly round, and bright red we're so used to seeing.

 

 

 

 

[Moiraine]

Climate change discussion is a distraction.

 

The reason it's a distraction is because it doesn't matter whether humans cause it, because the things that cause climate change are bad for our health in other ways.

[RedDenver]

2 hours ago, Making Chimichangas said:

As for genetically modified food, I don't necessarily have a problem with it and can see the benefits of it.  Imagine crops that are resistant to drought, bugs, etc.  Seems like there's a lot of potential there.  And plus, anyone want to go back to seeds in grapes?  Or has anyone seen a non-GMO tomato?  It seriously looks nothing like the perfectly round, and bright red we're so used to seeing.

Neither of the bolded things are GMO. Those were accomplished with regular plant breeding techniques that humans have employed for thousands of years.

 

Also, I'm against GMO's because of how they can be patented and the legal issues around harvesting your own GMO seeds, not because of their safety. I try not to buy GMO in a tiny attempt to put those companies out of business.

[MLB 51]

Number 1 and 2 I chose more than half. Number 3 I chose half or fewer.

It seems fairly obvious that GMO's should be thought of as bad for you. Most foreign Governments have banned GMO's for that particular reason.

 

For what it's worth, I think both sides share a pretty big burden of blame for this stuff. Too many Politicians have sold themselves to whomever is paying the most.

[Kiyoat Husker]

10 hours ago, Making Chimichangas said:

I want to start out by saying that I do believe our climate is changing.  However...

 

Is it caused by humans?

 

Skeptical that there is global warming on Mars?

 

I do believe our climate is changing.  Are humans a (or the sole) cause?    

 

 

Chimi, I'm not sure what point you are trying to make with your links.  The first one just talks about Mars, and doesn't even reference Earth.  The second link is a site that debunks the pseudo-science behind climate skepticism/denial.....  So you just debunked your own stance.  I was planning on providing a rebuttal, but you did that yourself. 

[Kiyoat Husker]

3 hours ago, MLB 51 said:

It seems fairly obvious that GMO's should be thought of as bad for you. Most foreign Governments have banned GMO's for that particular reason.

 

Why does it seem fairly obvious?  What are you basing that on?  

 

The reason most (not all) of Europe has banned growing GM crops has more to do with ideology than science.  General public opinion and wanting to appear "green" is driving the ban, not any research or scientific opinion.  So basically for political reasons.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/opinion/sunday/with-gmo-policies-europe-turns-against-science.html

 

Quote

 

Without a trace of embarrassment, a spokeswoman for Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, admitted that the first minister’s science adviser had not been consulted because the decision “wasn’t based on scientific evidence.” Instead, the priority was to protect the “clean green image” of the country’s produce, according to the secretary for rural affairs, food and environment.

 

This decision of a majority of European countries to apparently ignore their own experts may undermine any claim to the moral high ground at the coming Paris talks on climate change. The worldwide scientific consensus on the safety of genetic engineering is as solid as that which underpins human-caused global warming. Yet this inconvenient truth on G.M.O.s — that they’re as safe as conventionally cultivated food — is ignored when ideological interests are threatened.

 

 

I should mention that I am actually against GM crop use, not because I think they are unsafe, but because I believe It allows indiscriminate and extensive pesticide use, which in the midwest is a major contributor to the decline of native prairie and wetland plants and habitats.  If there were a way to encourage more CRP land creation on marginal lands, I probably wouldn't be very opposed to GM crop use. 

[BigRedBuster]

13 minutes ago, Kiyoat Husker said:

but because I believe It allows indiscriminate and extensive pesticide use,

 

Actually, they reduce this.

[RedDenver]

22 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

Actually, they reduce this.

Depends on what you're using as a comparison. If you're talking about farmers who were already using lots of pesticides, then the Roundup-ready and similar did reduce pesticide use slightly. But if you're looking at farmers who were using integrated pest management (so much less pesticides), then it drove the use up a lot.

[knapplc]

4 hours ago, MLB 51 said:

It seems fairly obvious that GMO's should be thought of as bad for you. Most foreign Governments have banned GMO's for that particular reason.

 

Oddly enough, most of the food you buy at the supermarket is genetically modified, and has been for centuries.  Cattle are GMOs, having been bred for specific traits, as are most grains and most fruits.

 

This is what corn used to look like compared to now, after it was selectively bred:

 

 

Here's what bananas used to look like, compared to now:

 

 

If you have a dog as a pet, it was genetically modified through breeding, as was your house cat.  GMOs are all around us, and they're not (necessarily) bad.