• 45 percent of Americans think that medical scientists will find a cure for the common forms of cancer within the next 25 years, 40 percent anticipate the development of a vaccine for aids, and 44 percent expect that new medical technologies will be developed to extend the average lifespan to 90 or more years in the United States; but

• nearly half expect a major nuclear power plant accident within the next 25 years, half think that there will be "a significant deterioration in the quality of our environment" over the next quarter century, and a quarter think it is very likely that a "dangerous manmade organism" will be released into the environment accidentally in the next 25 years.

Clearly, most Americans expect a mixture of beneficial and harmful results from science and technology.

Consistent with the previous results, individuals with higher levels of formal education were more likely to anticipate positive results from science. But there was no significant difference by level of education in the expectation of a nuclear power plant accident or the deterioration of the environment. There was a weak relationship between the level of education and the expectation of the release of a dangerous manmade organism, but this may be a reflection, in part, of a differential level of understanding of the concept of a "manmade organism." (Click here for footnote 7.)

Footnote 7:

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