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Cary Funk

Former Director, Science and Society Research

Cary Funk is director of science and society research at Pew Research Center, where she leads the Center’s efforts to understand the implications of science for society. Center studies look at the social, ethical and policy implications of scientific developments in areas such as climate and energy, emerging issues in genetic engineering, and food and space science. She has authored or co-authored a number of reports focused on public trust in science, scientific experts and science news and information.

Funk has broad expertise in public opinion research and has specialized in public understanding of science topics for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, she directed the Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences Surveys, national surveys on science and biotechnology. Funk began her career at CBS News in New York working on preelection polling and analysis of exit polls. She earned a doctorate and a master’s in social psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Publications

reportJul 23, 2015

Why Elaborate on Scientists’ Views?

This report revisits the subject matter of a January release in which Pew Research Center compared the public’s and scientists’ viewpoints on key scientific issues. Specifically, this report takes a closer look at how opinions vary among different groups of scientists. There are several reasons to explore scientists’ views further. The first is to get […]
reportJul 23, 2015

An Elaboration of AAAS Scientists’ Views

A deeper examination of views about key science topics by members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
reportJul 1, 2015

Appendix A: About the General Public Survey

The bulk of the analysis in this report stems from a general public survey conducted by telephone with a national sample of adults (18 years of age or older) living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The results are based on 2,002 interviews (801 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone […]
reportJul 1, 2015

About This Report

This report examines the general public’s views on a range of science-related topics and explores the degree to which political views, educational attainment, religion and demographic factors are connected to those views. It also focuses on the extent to which people’s knowledge about science connects to their views on these topics. The bulk of the […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 8: Attitudes on Space Issues

This chapter looks at the underpinnings of two attitudes related to space exploration. When it comes to government investment in the International Space Station, public views are influenced primarily by political factors and education. This pattern is in keeping with public views about government funding for science and engineering, more generally. When it comes to […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 7: Opinion About the Use of Animals in Research

The general public is closely divided when it comes to the use of animals in research. Some 47% favor the practice, while and a nearly equal share (50%) oppose it. Support for animal research is down somewhat since 2009, when 52% of adults favored and 43% opposed the use of animals in scientific research. Gender, […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 6: Public Opinion About Food

The Pew Research survey included a handful of questions related to genetically modified (GM) foods and one on the safety of foods grown with pesticides. This chapter looks at each of these in turn. The findings point to a mix of factors that are central to the public’s beliefs about food safety. Women and blacks […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 5: Public Views About Biomedical Issues

This chapter looks at a handful of issues in the biomedical arena. No single set of factors is central to explaining views across all of these topics. One of the issues we examined related to changing a baby’s genetic characteristics for specific purposes. Views of genetic modification are influenced by religious observance, as measured by […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 4: Evolution and Perceptions of Scientific Consensus

This chapter looks at public views about human evolution and perceptions of scientific consensus about evolution and the creation of the universe. Consistent with past Pew Research surveys and other public surveys, religious groups play a central role in beliefs about these topics. Numerous other factors also influence public views about evolution, however, including politics, […]
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 3: Support for Government Funding

Overall, a solid majority of adults in the U.S. say government investment in both basic science research and in engineering and technology “pay off in the long run” (71% and 72%, respectively). A minority says government investments in either area are not worth it. Support for government investments has held steady since Pew Research last […]