The numbers below summarize the choices made by the 43 students in CHEM-465 who were polled on 40 societal issues related to chemistry and biochemistry during the first class of the semester.  Instructions were: Please indicate in the appropriate boxes whether you agree (A), disagree (D), are undecided (U), or couldn't care less (C) about each of the following 40 propositions relating to chemistry and society. The positive or negative wording of each proposition may or may not represent the position of the instructor. This year's class appears to be less opinionated (number of U's) and slightly more nihilistic (number of C's) than previous ones.
 

A	D	U	C	PROPOSITION
8	14	18	3	1. The import of drugs or pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India should be banned.
7	4	30	4	2. The environmental impacts of ´hydrofracking´ outweigh the benefits of ´clean´ natural gas from the Marcellus Shale.
7	16	11	8	3. Opportunities for women in chemistry (the chemical sciences) are limited relative to those for men.
5	28	8	2	4. During recessions, regulatory action by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should be suspended, to encourage job creation.
23	5	15	0	5. The public health benefits of fluoride justify its addition to municipal water supplies.
18	10	5	10	6. The account of creation in the Bible is in direct conflict with chemical and physical evidence for the age of the earth.
9	27	7	0	7. The events in Fukushima, Japan show that nuclear energy cannot be harnessed safely.
6	19	16	2	8. "Natural" and "Organic" foods are chemically indistinguishable from their counterparts that are not-so-labeled.
5	5	26	7	9. Title IX is an appropriate tool to ensure gender equity in science education.
4	15	19	5	10. Fossil hydrocarbons are too valuable as a source of recyclable plastic to be burned for fuel.
5	30	6	2	11.  There is an objectively correct answer to any question relating to chemistry.
19	10	11	3	12. Due to the production of dioxins and the emission of other toxic compounds, Delaware should not consider incinerating its garbage, trash, and chicken waste.
9	19	8	7	13. Media representation of scientists discourages young people from choosing science as a career.
9	8	26	0	14. Cadmium telluride based solar cells should be phased out due to the toxicity of these elements.
22	4	15	1	15. Acid rain can be prevented without compromising industrial output.
11	22	7	3	16. The dangers of asbestos used for tiles and insulation in buildings are insufficient to warrant the high cost of its removal.
25	2	15	1	17. Mercury emitted by coal-burning power plants represents a significant health concern.
2	0	37	4	18. Methyl iodide provides a safer alternative to the use of methyl bromide as a pesticide.
15	18	9	1	19. Because scientific disciplines are arbitrary separations, all university teaching of the sciences should be interdisciplinary.
26	14	3	0	20. Raising gasoline prices in the U.S. would provide the incentive for engineering automobiles with improved fuel-efficiency.
2	31	10	0	21. The potential medical benefits described by stem cell researchers are overblown.
21	15	4	3	22. For many reasons, Americans should eat less meat.
5	29	9	0	23. Solar power generation is the only viable long-term solution to the energy problem.
3	33	7	0	24. Modern combinatorial approaches to drug discovery are so effective that there is virtually no need to seek new drug leads from plants in disappearing tropical forests.
19	5	15	4	25. Because many major breakthroughs in chemistry are the result of serendipity rather than rational planning, applied research cannot over-shadow the value of basic research.
30	3	8	2	26. Cigarette smoking is the largest single cause of preventable cancer in the world.
3	30	9	1	27. The risks associated with abandoned hazardous waste sites are insufficient to justify the additional risk and high cost of their cleanup.
4	29	9	1	28. Molecular genetic analysis of blood creates more problems for society than it solves.
29	8	4	2	29. There are important issues that face society that cannot be resolved by scientific study.
23	9	11	0	30. There are some areas of scientific inquiry that should never be pursued for ethical or humanitarian reasons.
6	21	14	2	31. Patenting of genes should be legal, because the biotechnology industry depends on them.
24	5	12	1	32. Pollution caused by the run off of lawn care chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides) indicates their use should be severely reduced.
16	17	10	0	33. The emphasis on faculty research productivity has increased the quality of my education at the University of Delaware.
18	1	23	1	34. Man-made chemicals that are widely distributed in nature ("endocrine disrupters") are profoundly disturbing the reproduction of certain susceptible organisms.
26	5	11	1	35. Ritalin is a dangerous drug that should be prescribed only for severe cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
23	4	13	3	36. To protect human health, the Environmental Protection Agency should reduce current maximum limits allowable for airborne particulate matter.
10	11	21	1	37. Ethanol is a cost-effective substitute for gasoline as a transportation fuel.
4	14	21	4	38. The economics of recycling aluminum are prohibitive.
5	1	32	5	39. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a real and disabling disease.
15	15	9	4	40. The negative effects of caffeine are sufficient enough that individuals should limit their consumption of it.