percent ot those with a family income of $10,000 

 or more in 1974 felt that science and technology 

 do more good than harm, compared with an 

 average of 58 percent for the groups having a 

 lower income. With regard to solving problems 

 in the future, groups with higher incomes 

 tended to expect solutions from science and 

 technology to a greater extent than the lower 

 income groups. All groups generally expressed 

 more satisfaction with science and technology in 

 1974 than in 1972, but felt less confident in their 

 ability to solve major problems in the future. 



in prestige than did the total sample. On the 

 other hand, a somewhat larger percentage of the 

 young in both surveys felt that science and 

 technology have caused some of our problems-- 

 56 percent versus 50 percent of the total sample 

 in 1974. 



There are other differences, however, 

 between the young and the total sample, but 

 these do not bear so directly on matters or 

 attitudes as on differences in concern and 

 priority. The young in both surveys expressed 



For The Most Part, Do You Feel That Science and Technology Will Eventually 



Solve Most Problems Such as Pollution, Disease, Drug Abuse, and Crime, 



Some of These Problems, or Few if Any of These Problems? 



Percentage of group expressing 



All 



Men 



Women 



18-29 yrs 



30-39 



40-49 



50-59 



60 + 



Less than high sc'iool 



High school 



Some college 



Family income: 



Under $5,000 



$5,000-$t.,999 



$7,000-$Q,999 



$10,000-$14,999 .. 



$15,000 or over . . . 



Attitudes of the young 



The belief that young people of the Nation 

 have negative attitudes toward science and 

 technology gained considerable credence begin- 

 ning in the late 1960's. To examine the current 

 validity of this belief, responses of the young 

 (18-29 years of age) to all questions of the survey 

 were compared with responses of the total 

 sample. 



For the most part, attitudes of the young were 

 closely similar to those of the total sample. Major 

 differences from the sample as a whole were 

 found in only two areas, one of which suggests a 

 more positive attitude toward science and 

 technology on the part of the young, whereas 

 the other indicates a more negative assessment. 

 In the first case, the young group (in both 1972 

 and 1974) rated "scientists" significantly higher 



consistently more concern for the environment. 

 The reduction and control of pollution was 

 specified by 60 percent of the young group in 

 1974 as an area where they would most like to 

 see their tax dollars spent, compared with 50 

 percent for the sample as a whole. "Lack of 

 concern for the environment" was listed in 1974 

 as one of the "harmful" effects of science and 

 technology by 31 percent of the young versus 25 

 percent of the total sample. 



The young differed from the total sample in 

 1974 in their choice of areas for efforts in science 

 and technology. "Improvement of education" 

 was selected by 58 percent of the young 

 compared with 48 percent of the total sample; 

 "discovering new basic knowledge" was chosen 

 by 29 percent versus 21 percent; and "finding 

 better birth control methods" was selected by 25 

 percent versus 18 percent. In listing "least liked" 



150 



