Survey: Majority of Americans say Trump should prioritize science

A new survey has found that the overwhelming majority of Americans want President Trump to prioritize science and technology in his efforts to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure.

The survey was commissioned by Research!America and the results show that across the board, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are in agreement that an emphasis should be put on science and innovation.

When asked specifically if the President’s plans to improve infrastructure should include science, technology, and engineering, 86 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Independents were in agreement.

Survey responders were mixed when asked if America’s global superiority in science and innovation would strengthen or weaken in 2018, but the results still spoke to the importance of research and science at a national scale.

Nearly 50 to 82 percent of Americans say that scientists should play a major role in shaping public policy, which included defense, job creation, education, and infrastructure.

Questions involving private sector research, government funding for research, and the importance of Congress understanding scientific issues showed strong majorities in favor of research funding, particularly medical research.

Reducing health care costs, increasing access to health care, and tackling the opioid epidemic were voted the top three priorities that the federal government should focus on.

While President Trump has verbally addressed the opioid epidemic, declaring it a public health emergency, but no new funding has been given to combat the crisis.

The Research!America survey found that 64 percent of Americans want more funding and research initiatives to help understand and treat opioid addiction.

Other health initiatives that were mentioned in the survey include an increase in funding for researching rural medical care and improving access for rural health care.

The study shows how important science, research, technology, and innovation are to the American public and that they should be given priority by the current administration when looking for ways to improve infrastructure and healthcare.

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By Kay Vandette, Earth.com Staff Writer