All of us at ATE Central are avid readers of the reports, surveys, and publications created by the Pew Research Center; not only is the research timely and varied, but the reports are a pleasure to read and chock full of graphics and tables that highlight research results in smart and applicable ways. We’ve showcased other Pew reports here in the ATE@20 blog and today we’re pointing you to two reports that came out last year. Not only do we hope they will be of interest and useful to the whole ATE community, but we hope they’ll be of interest to your colleagues, administrators, friends and students, too. Please feel free to share this blog post with others who you think might find them useful!

Pew considers itself a non-partisan “fact tank” – helping to inform the public on critical trends and issues through the use of public polling, research, and analysis. They are non-profit and are firm believers in scientific rigor, transparency and objectivity – making them a trustworthy source. There are lots of ways to follow (http://www.pewresearch.org/follow-us/) the work done at Pew – a variety of email newsletters are available and of course you can follow them on social media. 

The two reports we’re highlighting today should be useful to many of us in ATE – potentially supporting activities and interactions with students, colleagues and administrators in a number of creative and innovative ways. The first report showcases the differences in how the general public and scientists view science issues. The data and findings could be very useful in supporting recruiting, in your own research, and as part of presentations or grant writing efforts. The second report focuses on how job seekers are using the Internet (not always successfully) in their pursuit of employment, and may be a useful aid for students as they look to transition into the workforce or for anyone with an interest in workforce-related research.

1. Public and Scientists’ Views on Science and Society

This report emphasizes several interesting key points – the first is that science and the pursuit of scientific endeavors hold an esteemed place amongst both professionals (i.e. the scientists) and the general public AND there is broad support for federal investment in scientific research. Secondly, both groups also agree that that there are real challenges for STEM in K-12. And while the groups both agree on these two general areas, a third key finding points out that they differ around specific science-related issues:

• Climate Change: 87% of scientists feel it is mostly due to human activity, whereas only 50% of the general public agree with that statement
• Pesticides: 68% of scientists feel it is okay to consume foods grown with pesticides, but only 28% of the general public agree
• Animal Research: 89% of scientists are in favor of using animals in research - only 47% of the general public share this opinion
• World Population: 82% of scientists feel the growing world population will be a significant problem, whereas only 59% of the general public feel concerned

The report provides loads of data, tables, expanded context and analysis. The report also points readers to other relevant Pew research throughout, and compares and contrasts previous research findings from surveys done in this area to the current data.   

2. Searching for Work in the Digital Era

While it may seem obvious to most of us that those seeking jobs utilize the Internet to some degree, this thirty-page report really digs into the details of this claim and points out a number of interesting key findings. Firstly, almost 80% of those looking for a job in the U.S. in the last two years used online resources in their search, and roughly a third of them felt it was their most important vehicle for job searching.  

Additionally, like so many other aspects of life these days, job searching is going mobile – 28% of respondents said they’d used their phone in some aspect of their search, including filling out online applications. It’s important to note (especially for those of us working with students) that this number was much higher for 18-29 year olds – 58% of respondents in this demographic reported using their phone for job searching. This is an important reminder to all of us who use the web to disseminate our ATE related work. We need to make sure our sites (including any interactive components) are easy to access and use from a smartphone.  

A third key finding was the use of social media as a conduit to employment including using social media to find leads or connect with potential employers. Of those using social media, just over a third report that it’s been a useful tool in their job hunt.  Finally, despite the prevalence of lots of help online and through social media, there’s still a minority of job seekers who say that they’d have difficulty accomplishing basic job seeking tasks online – like creating a resume (17%) or using social media to showcase their skills (21%).

Again, there’s tons of explanatory text, charts, and tables that flesh out the report, along with lots of data that will provide useful information for all of us in the ATE community, particularly those helping students prepare for their foray out into the workforce.

Visit the Pew site to get more information about their research methods, interactives, or browse their full list of publications and reports by topic.