Since our founding more than 30 years ago, a key strategy tool in Research!America's advocacy for science and medical research has been influencing public opinion. As President Abraham Lincoln said, “…public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” Over our 28 years of commissioning surveys, Research!America has asked a wide variety of questions about the importance of scientists informing the public and elected officials about their research and its impacts. In January 2020, our survey asked: "How important is it for scientists to inform the public about their research and its impact on society?" In response, 9 in 10 Americans...

Dear Research Advocate, Because Research!America’s membership spans the ecosystem of stakeholders in research, we are fortunate to have access to a broad and comprehensive range of information you might find helpful. Visit and share our COVID-19 webpage. www.ResearchAmerica.org/COVID19 . A CDC report just out indicates that younger Americans have been hospitalized with COVID-19 at a higher rate than anticipated. As we look ahead to the use of vaccines against this and other threats, we have new (in the field just last evening) survey data showing that almost two-thirds of Americans ages 18-29 may not fully understand the role of vaccines. Better news is that this demographic is increasingly...

March 8-14 is World Glaucoma Week 2020, with events being held around the globe. As one of those events, Research!America and AEVR are pleased to join in releasing the latest edition of the Vision and Blindness fact sheet , which provides useful information about eye disease and vision impairment, including the latest research into glaucoma. Americans fear vision loss more than most other medical conditions, as reported in a 2014 Research!America poll conducted for AEVR. Since glaucoma is the second leading cause of preventable vision loss in the United States, sustained education about the disease is vital as individuals often are unaware they have it until vision is lost. A neurological...

Dear Research Advocate, In their different ways, Super Tuesday and COVID-19 both speak to public sentiment. What are Americans’ expectations for those who represent them in Washington — and candidates who want to represent them in Washington — when it comes to promoting and protecting their best interests? A new Research!America-commissioned survey (in the field just days before COVID-19 captured worldwide public attention) found that Americans want their policymakers to consult with public health professionals and scientists; are deeply concerned about a diversity of public health issues affecting their families, their communities, and our nation as a whole; and believe there should be...