Cheers Mike. Its possible that the press release is not an accurate
reflection of the poll questions, but I have to say it doesn't look like it:
BBC Press Release on Horizon, 'A War on Science'.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/01_january/26/horizon.shtml>
Very, very interesting to discover that in the 1980s, MORI was averse to
such an approach. A shift, perhaps? We'd need a copy of the poll, and a
good few others to say so with confidence.
I'm fascinated by this. If anyone else has examples of scientists being
uncritical of methodology across disciplines, do tell.
Jenny
--On 15 November 2006 11:16 +0000 Michael Kenward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Nice bit of footwork Jens. Beats spouting off without any evidence, which
> is all too common in this debate.
>
> The surprise here is that MORI allowed this sort of question into a poll.
> My guess is that it was one of a handful added to one of their regular
> polls rather than a poll just for the BBC. (I used to "buy" similar
> questions when New Scientist was trying to find out about attitudes to
> science in the 1980s, long before this became a fashionable thing to do.)
> At the time MORI advised on how to avoid loaded questions and was averse
> to asking them in its own polls.
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> Michael Kenward / Phone/Fax: +44 (0)1444 401064
> /
> Science Writer & Stuff / Genetically modified words for sale
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jennifer Gristock
> Sent: 14 November 2006 18:42
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [PSCI-COM] are scientists using unscientific data to attack
> unscientific 'intelligent design'?
>
> According to the BBC Press Office, Horizon's Mori poll did not allow
> people to indicate a belief in both Natural Selection and God.
>
> The Press Release says:
>
> "Participants in the survey were read three statements and asked which
> best described their view of the origin and development of life:
>
> * the 'evolution theory' says that human kind has developed over
> millions of years from less advanced forms of life. God had no part in
> this process;
>
> * the 'creationism theory' says that God created human kind pretty
> much in his/her present form at one time within the last 10,000 years;
>
> * and the 'intelligent design' theory says that certain features of
> living things are best explained by the intervention of a supernatural
> being, eg God.
>
> "Of those surveyed, 48 per cent said evolution theory most closely
> describes their view; 22% chose creationism; and 17% chose intelligent
> design. A further 12% said they did not know."
>
> [end of release quote]
>
> Is it possible that the 17 per cent who chose the third option knew
> nothing about intelligent design as a belief system or theory, but
> rather, were simply selecting the only statement that was neither
> creationism nor atheist?
>
> I'm a fan of Darwin. Of course I am. But I am a Christian, so I would not
> choose option 1.
>
> Reflecting on our science communication fundamentals, we might consider
> that someone who is not a scientist, nor a science journalist, might not
> have heard of the term 'intelligent design' [it is a jargon term, is it
> not?] and might well have been tempted to pick this option 3, in an
> attempt to express a belief that Darwin was right about evolution and
> the survival of the fittest, but that God created the universe with
> these processes operating within it.
>
> If a person wanted to design a poll to generate maximum controversy, as
> opposed to trying to capture the beliefs of a community, this would be a
> good example of how to do it.
>
> Does the press release accurately reflect the Poll questions? I do not
> know - i'm not creating a podcast on this subject and I have other work
> that requires my time this week. But if it does, then perhaps the
> scientists who use these statistics in should consider the value of more
> rigorous (social) scientific methods in evidence gathering.
>
>
> Jenny
> =============================
>
>
> Dr Jenny Gristock
> Fellow, Science Communication
>
> SPRU Science and Technology Policy Research
> The Freeman Centre
> University of Sussex
> Brighton BN1 9QE, UK
>
> Telephone +44 (0)1273 876711
> Fax +44 (0)1273 685865
> [log in to unmask]
> www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/profile29408.html
>
>
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Dr Jenny Gristock
Fellow, Science Communication
SPRU Science and Technology Policy Research
The Freeman Centre
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QE, UK
Telephone +44 (0)1273 876711
Fax +44 (0)1273 685865
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www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/profile29408.html
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