Most Americans Use Federal Science Information On a Weekly Basis, a New Poll Finds (npr.org)
- Reference: 0177351367
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/05/06/1456252/most-americans-use-federal-science-information-on-a-weekly-basis-a-new-poll-finds
- Source link: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387367/federal-science-opinion-use-poll
> The poll was conducted in early April by the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the association for science museums and other educational science centers in the U.S. The poll found that on a weekly basis more than 90% of people use weather forecasts, job market reports, food safety warnings and other information that is based on federal science.
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> But only 10% of respondents are concerned that cuts to federal support for science might impact their access to such information. The Trump administration has made deep budget and personnel cuts to federal agencies that collect weather data and do safety inspections at factories that make food and prescription drugs, among many science-related functions.
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> The association conducted the poll to understand current attitudes about science in the U.S. and inform how their member institutions, which include science museums, aquariums and zoos, can better serve the public.
[1] https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387367/federal-science-opinion-use-poll
Think of the opportunities! (Score:1)
A thing that everyone relies on, and some idiot is just giving it away for free!
Like your cancer, like the clean water you need to live, that's a huge missed opportunity for someone to make a big pile of cash!
Next you are going to be telling me that the government just builds roads and lets anyone drive on them for free, like a bunch of chumps.
Re: (Score:3)
It is only "for free" if you don't count the taxpayers' money, though.
And without it, it a lot of it, especially of the fundamental, basic kind on which everything else is built, will simply not exist.
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I don't pay any taxes at all. My employer is the one who pays them, and at the end of the year the government even sends me a check!
I use these websites almost daily (Score:4, Informative)
[1]https://www.weather.gov/ [weather.gov]
[2]https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/... [noaa.gov]
[3]https://radar.weather.gov/ridg... [weather.gov]
[4]https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ [noaa.gov] (seasonal during hurricane season)
[1] https://www.weather.gov/
[2] https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov//noaa/noaa.gif
[3] https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/CONUS_loop.gif
[4] https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Re: (Score:1)
Really? I look at my phone, which asks IBM (weather.com).
Re:I use these websites almost daily (Score:4, Informative)
Almost every weather site uses some of the NWS radar, forecasting and weather station data as well as NOAA satellite data because it's free and openly available.
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I'm not saying it doesn't, I'm just saying that I don't bother with weather.gov. Instead, I do what most people do and check my phone.
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And my point was you do use those services, they're just in the background. If the NWS shuts down their reporting over half of the weather apps on the market would cease to function. I subscribe to windy.com and they have the NOAA logo watermarked on their site, it's very important data.
i mean, get shit on. (Score:1)
That Americans do not understand either what government is, nor what it's for, is what the entire rest of the world has been telling you for forty years, you fucking pointless virgins. You got morons down there not knowing that MEDICAID is a government service; none of THIS stuff that's just been pointed out is surprising to the grownups who have been paying attention.
The Reagan cuts to education and everything that followed are to blame for this.
You wouldn't call it a battery if it only had one dipole. De
Re: (Score:2)
I also think that the Reagan era marks the time that the middle class started shrinking, and some kind of a strange "religion" happened to the lower class so they worship the ultra Rich.
Thank you DOGE (Score:2)
For showing that the government was actually quite efficient and well managed. It's not perfect but the presented idea of every area was rife with waste has not been evidenced, like at all.
$2T in cuts became $1T which then became $150B and estimates today are less than that even that, we'll probably end up only saving about $50-80B because payroll for the federal government is actually "only" about $300-400B and these people are managing functions of a $20T+ economy and services.
Zero fraud cases have been
I just find it interesting... (Score:2)
I just find it interesting... Science Friday.. and science podcasts on NPR like shortwave... they inform on the latest science advancements. I believe most are Government funded. It costs cents per person per year, it seems like money well spent just for the entertainment value. Much of it has applications in health, and industry that benefits most people imho.
Most Americans don't understand (Score:2)
Not just the anti-science regressives, I mean most of the entire population.
Almost every aspect of modern existence has scientists actively involved managing public infrastructure - communications and transportation are two big ones. There's also emergency preparedness and response, public health, road safety... if there's a complicated problem out there, there are people who work with current understanding to manage it and others who are working to advance that understanding.
Who thinks about that when the
Frustrating myopia (Score:2)
I work in agriculture. All of my customers rely HEAVILY on government programs, yet they are all happy Trump is taking a hatchet to the government. it's assinine.
We rely on NOAA for weather forecasts to plan planting and harvesting, avoiding getting killed by hurricanes and tornadoes. We rely on FEMA when those severe weather events do come through and destroy our fields, barns, homes, and towns. We rely on the USDA to collect SO MUCH FUCKING DATA on imports, exports, crop progress, drought conditions, co
Weather: several times a day (Score:2)
Every time I see or hear an updated weather report, I know my tax dollars are at work.
Re: Weather: several times a day (Score:2)
I just watch the TV weather reports because the weather lady is cute.
A while back, my wife almost caught me watching with the volume turned off.
Re: (Score:2)
"Weekly" seems like quite an understatement. Weather was the first thing I thought of, but there's also food safety, not just warnings but routine inspection, weights and measures, e.g. every time you buy anything by weight or volume, timekeeping, and a thousand other things I've failed to think of in the last thirty seconds.