PITTSBURGH, August 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- As the Department of Homeland Security continues to take shape and a model for a National Homeland Security University emerges, a new Gallup survey finds Americans are increasingly aware of the critical role science and technology play in U.S. security now and in the future. At the same time, they forecast an increase in the number of science and technology-based homeland security job opportunities for today's students.
In the "Bayer Facts of Science Education IX: Americans' Views on the Role of Science and Technology in U.S. National Defense," a Gallup survey commissioned by Bayer Corporation (NYSE:BAY) as part of its Making Science Make Sense program, nine in 10 Americans state that a strong science and technology (S&T) capability is a critical component of U.S. security, both at home and abroad. Some eight in 10 believe it will be "very important" in helping the U.S. meet future terrorist threats. Further, Americans characterize U.S. military preparedness (95 percent), intelligence preparedness (93 percent) and law enforcement preparedness (86 percent) as reliant on science and technology, and report that the country's new emphasis on homeland security will create new job opportunities in science and technology for today's students (75 percent).
"The events of the last two years clearly have had a profound effect on the collective American consciousness. September 11, the anthrax attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the continuing terror alerts have given Americans a keen appreciation for the role science and technology play in an aspect of life that is not always top-of-mind," said John Payne, President and General Manager of Bayer HealthCare LLC - Animal Health Division, North America, and Chairman of Bayer's MSMS program. "Americans increasingly recognize that science and technology not only provide us with new medicines, better electronics and high-tech gadgets. They are on the front lines, along with our first responders, defending and protecting us and the country."
Do Today's Students Have What It Takes?
Despite Americans' prediction of a spike in S&T-reliant homeland security jobs for today's students, they are concerned that poor U.S. student performance in science and math as witnessed on the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) may negatively impact the nation's future security (87 percent) and economic prosperity (90 percent). As a result, nine in 10 believe that improving pre-college math and science education is a national priority that must be addressed. Specifically, they call for replacing textbook-based education with hands-on science learning that helps students develop skills such as critical-thinking, problem-solving and working collaboratively with others.
The Bayer Facts of Science Education survey series, part of an ongoing public opinion research project, is one component of Bayer's companywide Making Science Make Sense initiative that advances science literacy across the United States through hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, employee volunteerism and public education. Currently, 15 Bayer sites around the country operate local MSMS programs, representing a national volunteer corps of more than 1,200 employees.
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is the U.S. holding company of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen Germany. Bayer employs 24,600 in North America with net North American sales of 8.9 billion Euros in 2002. Bayer's five operating companies -- CropScience, Chemicals, HealthCare, Polymers and Pharmaceutical -- produce a broad range of products that help diagnose and treat diseases, purify water, preserve local landmarks, protect crops, advance automobile safety and durability and improve people's lives.
Results of the Bayer Facts IX survey are based on telephone interviews with a national sample of 1,004 adult men and women age 18 and over who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. All interviewing was conducted by The Gallup Organization during March and April 2003. For results based on samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects could be plus or minus three percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
Please note survey findings reported as important or concerned represent responses that include both "very" and "somewhat."
For more information or to view the complete report, please visit www.BayerUS.com/MSMS.