Jan 30, 2015 11:53 AM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The U.S. general public has a wildly different perspective on climate change and other scientific topics than professionals and authorities in the field do.

According to the Associated Press, a new survey showed just how far apart scientists and the average citizen are on subjects like genetically modified food (GMO), pesticides and nuclear power. The two sides were also polled on topics like evolution, overpopulation and mandatory vaccination.

The survey comes from the Pew Research Center and participants were asked about 13 different topics and each one had at least a 20-percent gap of disagreement.

Pew surveyed 3,748 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and 2,002 adults from the general public. Some of the most pronounced differences of perspectives are as follows:

GMOs: 88 percent of scientists said they are OK to eat. 37 percent of people agreed.

Climate change: 87 percent of scientists believe it is manmade. 50 percent of people agreed.

Overpopulation: 80+ percent of scientists called it a problem. <60 percent of people agreed.

"Science is a huge, sprawling cluster of subjects," report lead author Cary Funk, an associate director of science research at Pew Research Center, said in a press release. "We knew from the 2009 Pew Research Center study that there could be differences between the public and scientists on at least some issues. But we were surprised by the size of those differences and how often they occur."

"Whatever their disagreements, most in the public and science community see STEM education as a concern," report co-author Lee Rainie, a Pew Research Center director of internet, science and technology research, said in the release. "When both groups basically speak in the same voice about an issue, it is worth paying attention."

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