For Internet users, however, the survey found that the average number of hours spent online annually has increased from 80 in 1995, to 161 in 1997, to 296 in 1999. Still, the the report said there was little improvement in the general public understanding of specific scientific facts. It takes a year for the Earth to orbit the sun. Antibiotics do not kill viruses. Continents have been moving for millions of years and will continue to do so.
Light travels faster than sound.
All radioactivity is not man-made. When the respondents were asked to define common scientific terms, however, most failed, although the scores have improved during recent years. A somewhat smaller percentage believes that aliens have landed on the Earth. The survey is based on a random-digit sampling of 1,882 American adults. The report did not state the margin of error.