I wonder if this is the norm of scientific research nowadays. I mean, not the top 20% of useful researches but the bottom 80% that do not turn out to be useful

I wonder if this is the norm of scientific research nowadays. I mean, not the top 20% of useful researches but the bottom 80% that do not turn out to be useful immediately. We have too many scientists hungry for publications and citations so they can get funding and make a living, which means they have an incentive that distracts them from actual research.