Republicans and Democrats agree that it's important the U.S. is a world leader in science, but sharply diverge on how the U.S. is faring.

The share of Americans who say science has had a mostly positive impact on society has fallen 16 percentage points since before the start of the coronavirus outbreak, from 73% in January 2019 to 57% today.

Here is a roundup of key takeaways from our studies of U.S. public opinion about science issues and their effect on society.

Around six-in-ten Democrats support increased spending for scientific research, compared with 40% of Republicans, a gap that has grown over time.

About nine-in-ten Americans see research scientists as intelligent, while a smaller majority describe them as good communicators.

Public confidence in scientists is on the upswing, and six-in-ten Americans say scientists should play an active role in policy debates about scientific issues, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.