2 ms·

I read that headline and wondered if it's generalizeable to just about anything, and not just GM foods... “This is often used to explain why many Americans ref

I read that headline and wondered if it's generalizeable to just about anything, and not just GM foods... “This is often used to explain why many Americans refuse to believe in evolution and why so many Americans feel that vaccination is harmful to children,” O’Dwyer said. “It also figures into the debates on global warming and makes correcting erroneous beliefs highly challenging.” Apparently it is.

bb2018 8y ago
At the same time I'm sure the following statements would also be true: "Those who know the least about the intricacies of lizard people conspiracy theories are most likely to deny it" or "Those who know the least about Bible-based curing methods or most likely to reject it" I am pro-GMO and don't go out of my way to eat GMO free, but at the same time I think it misses a greater point that those who are against something for larger meta or ethical reasons of course are not going to know the exact mechanics of it (because for them that would be missing the point).
Konnstann 8y ago
That's exactly what I thought. Conspiracy theorists like moon-landing deniers, flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, etc. have endless "research" to quote, but zero real knowledge on the subject. Obviously if they knew better they wouldn't hold that belief, but the bubble that they live in contains enough "data" for them to think they are informed.
akvadrako 8y ago
Actually it doesn't apply to global warming. From the abstract: > Similar results were obtained in a parallel study with representative samples from the United States, France and Germany, and in a study testing attitudes about a medical application of genetic engineering technology (gene therapy). This pattern did not emerge, however, for attitudes and beliefs about climate change.
gnicholas 8y ago
I thought it was interesting that the UK-based professor restricted the scope of these statements to refer to Americans. It seems that anti-vax sentiment may be the strongest in France,[1] and that it is also quite active in Italy.[2] The professor teachers US and UK politics, so I can see why he'd want to stick to his area of expertise. At the same time, his statements seem to imply that Americans are unique in these beliefs. 1: https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/09/09/france-leads-world-anti-vaccine-beliefs-10135 https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/09/09/france-leads-world-anti... 2: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anti-vaxxers-italy-vaccine-measles-epidemic-europe-us-vaccination-global-health-security-agenda-a8560021.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anti-vaxxers...

bb2018 8y ago

At the same time I'm sure the following statements would also be true: "Those who know the least about the intricacies of lizard people conspiracy theories are most likely to deny it" or "Those who know the least about Bible-based curing methods or most likely to reject it" I am pro-GMO and don't go out of my way to eat GMO free, but at the same time I think it misses a greater point that those who are against something for larger meta or ethical reasons of course are not going to know the exact mechanics of it (because for them that would be missing the point).

Konnstann 8y ago

That's exactly what I thought. Conspiracy theorists like moon-landing deniers, flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, etc. have endless "research" to quote, but zero real knowledge on the subject. Obviously if they knew better they wouldn't hold that belief, but the bubble that they live in contains enough "data" for them to think they are informed.

akvadrako 8y ago

Actually it doesn't apply to global warming. From the abstract: > Similar results were obtained in a parallel study with representative samples from the United States, France and Germany, and in a study testing attitudes about a medical application of genetic engineering technology (gene therapy). This pattern did not emerge, however, for attitudes and beliefs about climate change.

gnicholas 8y ago

I thought it was interesting that the UK-based professor restricted the scope of these statements to refer to Americans. It seems that anti-vax sentiment may be the strongest in France,[1] and that it is also quite active in Italy.[2] The professor teachers US and UK politics, so I can see why he'd want to stick to his area of expertise. At the same time, his statements seem to imply that Americans are unique in these beliefs. 1: https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/09/09/france-leads-world-anti-vaccine-beliefs-10135 https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/09/09/france-leads-world-anti... 2: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anti-vaxxers-italy-vaccine-measles-epidemic-europe-us-vaccination-global-health-security-agenda-a8560021.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/anti-vaxxers...