BRISTOL, ENGLAND—A survey of adults in Britain has found that:
- Three-quarters believe astrology is scientific, but only a bare majority believe ecology is;
- 33 percent of the population believe that penicillin attacks viruses;
- 20 percent see carbon dioxide as the chief cause of acid rain;
- 37 percent believe proteins “provide most of the energy needs of the human body,” and 19 percent chose vitamins. Only 36 percent chose carbohydrates.
Those sobering findings are part of a survey of 1,033 people at 80 locations throughout Britain. The study was reported by Arthur Lucas of King's College, London, during the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held here in September.
The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, was conducted in June in conjunction with Market & Opinion Research International. The representative sample of persons aged 18 and older were asked about their support of science as...
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