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OCR for page 10
5
Public Awareness Today
4, .
In 1998, the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) com-
missioned a survey of public awareness of engineering to be conducted by Harris
Interactive. The survey was an attempt to provide better understanding of the
results of a series of surveys conducted by Harris Interactive on a continuing
basis on topics of interest, importance, and societal concern, such as the "pres-
tige" Americans attach to various professions. The results of the earlier surveys
are shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2. Table 2-1 is a snapshot from 1998 that indicates
that engineers have considerably less prestige than scientists. Table 2-2 shows
that the percentage of respondents who consider engineers to have "very great"
prestige has been "consistently mediocre" for 20+ years.
FOLLOW-ON SURVEY
In an effort to explore the results of the Harris polls, the AAES commis-
sioned a follow-on study (also conducted by Harris Interactive). The results are
analyzed below In the first question, participants were asked to evaluate scien-
tists, technicians, and engineers in the following terms:
1. When you hear the word engineer or scientist or technician, what first
comes to mind about what that person does?
2. As some activities are mentioned, whom do you associate with that
activity—a scientist, a technician, or an engineer?
3. As some characteristics are mentioned, who first comes to mind a
scientist, technician, or engineer?
10
OCR for page 11
PUBLIC AWARENESS TODAY
TABLE 2-1 Excerpts from the Harris Poll Indicating the Level of Prestige
American's Impart to Various Professions
1
1
Very Great Considerable
Some Hardly Any Don't Know
Doctor 61% 27% 10% 2% 1%
Scientist 55 So 30% 10% 3% 1 %
Teacher 53% 26% 15% 5% 1%
Minister 46% 28% 19% 7% 1 %
Policeman 41% 31% 20% 7% 0%
Engineer 34% 39% 22% 4% 1 %
Military Officer 34% 36% 23% 6% 1%
Architect 26% 42% 26% 4% 2%
Congressman 25% 31% 26% 17% 1%
Lawyer 23% 30% 28% 18% 1%
Athlete 20% 28% 34% 17% 0%
Entertainer 19% 29% 36% 15% 1%
Businessman 18% 37% 38% 6% 1%
Banker 18% 33% 39% 10% 0%
Accountant 17% 33% 38% 11% 1%
Journalist 15% 33% 37% 13% 1%
Union Leader 16% 28% 33% 22% 1%
Note: Not all of the percentages add up to 100 because not all respondents answered every question.
[The sample was a national cross-section of adults (N=1,000). The data are weighted to reflect the
overall national population].
.,
TABLE 2-2 Results of Periodic Polls by Harris Interactive on the Prestige of
Various Professions, 1977-1988
Percentage That Rated Prestige as "Very Great"
1977
1982
1992
1997
1998
Doctor 61 55 50 52 61
Scientist 66 59 57 51 55
Teacher 29 28 41 49 53
Minister 41 42 38 45 46
Policeman NA NA 34 36 41
Engineer 34 30 37 32 34
Military Officer NA 22 32 29 34
Architect NA NA NA NA 26
Congressman NA NA 24 23 25
Lawyer 36 30 25 19 23
Athlete 26 20 18 21 20
Artist 21 20 13 19 NA
Entertainer 18 16 17 18 19
Businessman 18 16 19 16 18
Banker 17 17 17 15 18
Accountant NA 13 14 18 17
Union Leader NA NA 12 14 16
Journalist 17 16 15 15 15
OCR for page 12
12
RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ENGINEERING
The answers to these questions are shown in Table 2-3 and Figures 2-1 and 2-2.
TABLE 2-3 Comparative Perceptions of Scientists, Technicians, and Engineers
Scientists Technicians Engineers
Invents 11 % 2% 2%
Builds 10% 26%
Designs/plans 1% 1% 27%
Is creative 3% 1% 3%
Discovers 18% 1%
Pioneers 1 %
Measures 1% 1%
Works inlab 8% 6%
Conducts research 11%
Cures diseases 9%
Seeks knowledge 6%
Conducts experiments 5%
Equipment repair 15%
Works w/ computers 9%
Specially qualified in their field 6%
Works w/ electronics 5%
Train operator 5%
As Table 2-3 shows in response to question 1, the participants think of scien-
tists as inventors and discoverers; of technicians as having specialized equip-
ment-related qualifications; and of engineers as builders, makers, designers, and
planners. The higher the respondent's educational level, the greater the likeli-
hood that engineers were seen as designers and planners rather than builders.
Figure 2-1 shows the answers to question 2. Respondents strongly associ-
ated engineers with the design of new machines. They share credit with techni-
cians for the development of software and with scientists and technicians for the
design of medical instruments. However, most people did not recognize the con-
tributions of engineers to the development of new forms of energy, to working in
space, or to development of new drugs and medications. In general, scientists
were more strongly associated with these activities.
OCR for page 13
PUBLIC AWARENESS TODAY
Designs new
machines
Develops new
software
Designs medical
instruments
Develops new
forms of energy
Creates new
materials
Services electronic
equipment
Works in space
of;
13
Develops new
drugs/medication
i —
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Engineer O Technician
FIGURE 2-1 Activities Associated with Various Professions
Scientist
Figure 2-2 shows the results of question 3. Engineers are perceived as more
pragmatic contributors to society than technicians and less attuned to societal
issues than scientists. The respondents credited engineers with contributions to
economic growth, leadership, and national security, but gave them poor marks
for contributions to our quality of life and the environment, for inclusiveness, and
for social concerns.
OCR for page 14
:~
-:e
t
Q
14
Creates economic
growth
Would make
strong leader
Preserves
national security
Cares about
community
Improves
quality of life
Includes women/minorities
Is sensitive to
social concerns
Protects the
environment
Saves lives
Discovers the
natural world
RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ENGINEERING
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
~ Engineer ~ Technician
FIGURE 2-2 Characteristics Associated with Various Professions
Interviewees were then asked another set of questions:
Scientist
4. Would you describe yourself as very well informed, fairly well informed,
not very well informed, or not at all well informed about (a) science and
scientists, (b) technology and technicians, (c) engineering and engineers?
5. Generally speaking, do you feel the media do an excellent, good, fair, or
poor job in covering (a) science, (b) technology, (c) engineering, (d) medi-
cal discoveries?
6. If the media were rated "fair" or "poor," the subjects were asked if the
reason was that the media are not interested in the discipline, or they
think you are not interested, or they don't understand the discipline, or
some other reason?
OCR for page 15
PUBLIC AWARENESS TODAY
Engineering/
engineers
Science/
scientists
Technology/
technicians
15
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
_ jet:,—I,, I
How well _ ~~ ~< ~;~ Hi ~ '
informed Very Fairly Not very Not at all
Base: All respondents (N = 1,011 )
FIGURE 2-3 Level of Information about Science, Technology, and Engineering
..
Figure 2-3 shows that the respondents considered themselves not as well
informed about engineers and engineering as about science and technology. A
majority felt that they were "not very" or "not at all" well informed about engi-
neering and engineers. The fraction of those who considered themselves poorly
informed was somewhat higher among less educated people, and women consid-
ered themselves much less informed than men.
Figure 2-4 shows that, when the media are considered to do a "fair" or"poor"
job covering engineering, the respondents believe the reason is that the media feel
the public is not interested.
Respondents were then asked two final questions:
7. Do you feel that technology in general makes a positive contribution to
society, makes a negative contribution to society, or doesn't have much
impact one way or another?
8. Using a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being extremely displeased and 10 being
extremely pleased, if your son or daughter said they wanted to be a/an
scientist/technician/engineer, how pleased would you be?
In answer to these questions, the respondents overwhelmingly (88%) felt that
technology had made a positive contribution to society (Figure 2-5~. Most re-
spondents also said they would be very pleased (median source 9) for family
members to become scientists, engineers, or technicians. Because the profes-
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16
Englneenn
Technology
Science
Medical
.. .
alscovenes
RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ENGINEERING
_
I i I I I
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
l l
-
The American
public feels are not don't feel publicis not
the media interested understand interested
FIGURE 2-4 Media Coverage
Negative
3%
Doesn't have
much impact
8% \
l Done know
' ~ 1%
Positive
88%
FIGURE 2-5 Contribution of Science, Technology, and Engineering
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PUBLIC AWARENESS TODAY
17
signs were grouped together in question 8, it was impossible to separate out engi-
neering.
CONCLUSION
The results of the periodic Harris Surveys and the follow-on survey commis-
sioned by AAES paint a disappointing picture of the public understanding of
engineering and public perceptions of the profession. Although most respon-
dents recognized that engineering involves a process of design, they had little
sense that engineering also involves applications of those designs. They expressed
a great deal of goodwill toward technology, but seemed to direct only a modicum
of that goodwill toward engineers and engineering. Although the collective ef-
forts of engineers dramatically improved the quality of life for Americans in the
twentieth century, the public appeared to give them little credit for those contri-
butions. The survey results in Chapter 3 indicate the engineering community has
been conducting a variety of public-awareness and outreach programs for many
years, some reportedly for more than 20 years. Although some of these programs
..
Representative terms from entire chapter:
harris interactive
