ANU Poll 2010: Science

This poll is the eighth in an ongoing series of polls being undertaken by the Social Research Centre for the ANU. Their purpose is to assess Australians' opinions on important and topical issues, with an emphasis on international comparisons. These polls are typically conducted three times a year, or about every four months. Some questions appear in every poll in order to provide information about changes in opinion over time; the majority of questions appear in one poll only. This research is used to inform public debate and policy about issues affecting Australia. The main focus of this poll was on Australians’ attitudes towards science - its main aim was to gauge the extent to which people are interested in science and whether they think that it can solve problems. Variables include opinions about the way Australia is heading, opinions about science, the biggest problems facing Australia today; interest levels in major topic areas, contributions to society. Background variables include gender, age, household composition, country of birth, highest level of education, employment status and income.