Education and support for scientists and elected officials in public policy decisions

This paper uses survey data from the United States to examine the relationship between education and public support for scientific experts and elected leaders in knowledge-intensive policy decisions. Results show that most individuals agree that scientists should have more influence than elected leaders over public policy related to global warming, stem cell research, genetically modified food, and nuclear energy. However, compared to those with less schooling, college graduates are up to nearly three times more likely to express the minority opinion that elected leaders should have policy priority. The analysis shows that this pattern results primarily from college graduates' increased support for elected officials rather than decreased support for scientists. Findings provide evidence for democratic theory, and more generally, highlight the value of incorporating political theory in empirical research on science and public policy. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.