Fact of the Week: Americans are Less Optimistic About Science and Technology Than People in Many Other Nations

April 30, 2018

For many decades, the perception, if not the reality has been that Americans are the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to technology. It was such optimism that helped make the United States the country that went to the moon, invented the Internet, and reinvented agriculture with genetically modified organisms. But now Americans have become less optimistic and more fearful.

According to the World Values Survey, only 12.6 percent of Americans completely agree that “Science and technology are making our lives healthier, easier, and more comfortable.” In contrast, 23 percent of Chinese, 25 percent of Swedes, and 26 percent of Australians believe this. Even Germany, home of a great deal of anti-technology sentiment, has a more optimistic view, with 20 percent of its population agreeing. Increasing people’s faith in science and technology’s power to drive progress, not just in America but around the world, is a key task if global innovation is to progress at robust rates.

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