Contents
- STEM hobby participation statistics: Nature, space, and technology hobbies
- STEM hobby participation statistics: Other science-related hobby categories
- STEM hobby participation statistics: Differences by age, gender, and education
- STEM hobby participation: Citizen science and hands-on STEM activity participation
- STEM hobby participation: Informal science visits and family science activities
- Sources
STEM hobby participation statistics: Nature, space, and technology hobbies
A Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted May 30–June 12, 2017, asked respondents to name up to 3 hobbies. Researchers coded open-ended responses into categories. Its topline reports category shares among all adults (N=4,024) and among those reporting a science-related hobby (N=742). The denominators answer different questions: the all-adult column indicates how common a coded response was across adults; the second describes the category within the science-related-hobby group.
| Coded hobby category | Among all U.S. adults (N=4,024) | Among adults with a science-related hobby (N=742) |
|---|---|---|
| Environment and nature | 5% | 28% |
| Air, space, and astronomy | 3% | 17% |
| Technology | 3% | 15% |
Environment and nature was the largest of these categories in both columns. The survey’s coding included outdoor activities, gardening, botany, and birdwatching. Thus, 5% is the share of all adults whose named hobby was coded in this category, while 28% is the share in the conditional group of adults with science-related hobbies. It is not a measure of all time spent outdoors or all contact with nature.
Air, space, and astronomy accounted for 3% among all adults and 17% among adults with a science-related hobby. Technology likewise accounted for 3% among all adults, and 15% within the science-related-hobby group. The categories illustrate the range of interests people named, but they are survey coding labels rather than an exhaustive classification of every possible STEM leisure activity.
The responses were open-ended, and participants could provide more than 1 hobby. The results therefore reflect what respondents chose to name and how those answers were coded. They describe a 2017 survey, not present-day participation. Source: Pew Research Center, 2017 Science News & Information Questionnaire and Topline, page 27, HOBBY2
STEM hobby participation statistics: Other science-related hobby categories
The other reported hobby categories include health and wellness, experiments and research in specific topics, science learning, food and home improvement, and “Other responses.” As in the preceding table, the first percentage column covers all U.S. adults and the second covers adults in the science-related-hobby group. Each percentage is tied to its own denominator.
| Coded hobby category | Among all U.S. adults (N=4,024) | Among adults with a science-related hobby (N=742) |
|---|---|---|
| Health and wellness | 1% | 8% |
| Experiments and research in specific topics | 1% | 8% |
| Science learning activities | 1% | 7% |
| Other responses | 2% | 11% |
Health and wellness and experiments and research in specific topics each accounted for 1% among all adults. Within the science-related-hobby group, each represented 8%. Science learning activities also represented 1% among all adults and 7% within that group. These figures concern named and coded hobbies. They do not report frequency, time spent, or whether respondents used the label “STEM hobby” for themselves.
The topline prints an asterisk for food and home improvement among all adults and reports 2% among adults with a science-related hobby. The asterisk is the source’s notation for a suppressed or very small value, not a zero, so it does not belong in a numeric comparison as if it were a measured percentage. “Other responses” accounted for 2% among all adults and 11% among adults with a science-related hobby. It is a broad coding category, not one specific kind of science activity.
Taken together, these categories show that open-ended hobby answers included learning and topic-focused investigation as well as broader labels. Their small shares and varied definitions call for care in interpretation: they indicate how responses were classified in this survey, not a complete census of science-related leisure. Source: Pew Research Center, 2017 Science News & Information Questionnaire and Topline, page 27, HOBBY2
STEM hobby participation statistics: Differences by age, gender, and education
In the 2017 Pew survey, 23% of U.S. adults ages 18–29 reported having a science-related hobby, compared with 12% of adults ages 65 and older. These percentages refer to whether a respondent reported a science-related hobby, not to a particular hobby category. The survey reports a difference between these age groups but does not establish why the rates differ.
Other subgroup comparisons in Pew’s appendix cover gender, education, household income, and engagement with science news. Each table entry below is the percentage of U.S. adults in that subgroup who reported a science-related hobby.
| Subgroup | Reporting a science-related hobby |
|---|---|
| Men | 21% |
| Women | 15% |
| Postgraduate education | 29% |
| College graduate | 27% |
| Some college | 19% |
| High school or less | 9% |
| Household income $100,000 or more | 23% |
| Household income $50,000–$99,999 | 16% |
| Household income $30,000–$49,999 | 15% |
| Household income below $30,000 | 13% |
Among the listed education groups, the reported rate was 29% for adults with postgraduate education, 27% for college graduates, 19% for those with some college, and 9% for adults with a high school education or less. The gender figures were 21% for men and 15% for women. These are descriptive subgroup rates; they do not count individuals or show what produced the differences.
The household-income categories show 23% among adults in households earning $100,000 or more, 16% for $50,000–$99,999, 15% for $30,000–$49,999, and 13% below $30,000. The report also compares groups defined by science-news interest: 42% of active science-news consumers reported a science-related hobby, compared with 7% of adults uninterested in science news. These groupings show an association in the survey; they do not establish that news interest causes hobby participation, or the reverse.
All figures in this section come from U.S. adults surveyed May 30–June 12, 2017. They are historical estimates. The appendix gives separate comparisons for each subgroup, rather than explaining individual motivations or circumstances. Source: Pew Research Center, “Citizen science, science-related hobbies and participation in informal science activities,” section 6 and Appendix A
STEM hobby participation: Citizen science and hands-on STEM activity participation
Pew measured citizen-science participation separately from reporting a science-related hobby. In 2017, 16% of U.S. adults said they had done at least 1 of 3 activities: made observations or collected data samples for a science research project; contributed to science-related online crowdsourcing; or participated in the maker movement or a hack-a-thon. This composite records whether respondents reported any listed activity. It does not break out how common each activity was or how often people did it.
The reported rate was 23% for adults ages 18–29 and 11% for those ages 65 and older. By science-news interest, 31% of active science-news consumers reported a citizen-science activity, compared with 10% of adults uninterested in science news. These are subgroup comparisons from the same 2017 survey and describe association, not cause.
| Subgroup | Reported at least 1 citizen-science activity |
|---|---|
| Men | 17% |
| Women | 16% |
| Postgraduate education | 30% |
| College graduate | 24% |
| Some college | 15% |
| High school or less | 9% |
| Household income $100,000 or more | 23% |
| Household income $50,000–$99,999 | 14% |
| Household income $30,000–$49,999 | 13% |
| Household income below $30,000 | 12% |
| Parent of a minor-age child | 20% |
| No minor-age child | 15% |
Education subgroup rates were 30% among adults with postgraduate education, 24% among college graduates, 15% among adults with some college, and 9% among those with a high school education or less. By household income, the rates were 23% for $100,000 or more, 14% for $50,000–$99,999, 13% for $30,000–$49,999, and 12% below $30,000. Men reported 17% and women 16%.
The composite measure was reported by 20% of adults who were parents of a minor-age child and 15% of adults without a minor-age child. This is the respondent’s participation in at least 1 of the listed activities. It is separate from helping a child with a science project, which Pew reported as another measure.
These results come from the May 30–June 12, 2017 survey. They provide a snapshot of specified collaborative, observational, and maker activities, rather than a complete measure of adult engagement with STEM. Source: Pew Research Center, “Citizen science, science-related hobbies and participation in informal science activities,” section 6 and Appendix A
STEM hobby participation: Informal science visits and family science activities
Pew asked U.S. adults whether they had visited or attended any of 5 informal science venues or events during the prior 12 months. In the 2017 survey, 62% reported at least 1. The individual responses identify different settings, from parks and zoos to museums and science talks.
| Visit or event during prior 12 months | U.S. adults who selected it |
|---|---|
| National, state, or county park | 47% |
| Zoo or aquarium | 30% |
| Science and technology center or museum | 18% |
| Natural history museum | 16% |
| Lecture or talk about science | 10% |
The overall 62% measure means respondents reported at least 1 listed venue or event. The individual percentages are separate responses and should not be added together to produce a total. A park was the most commonly selected item, at 47%; 30% selected a zoo or aquarium. Science and technology centers or museums were selected by 18%, natural history museums by 16%, and science lectures or talks by 10%. The question refers to the prior 12 months before the May 30–June 12, 2017 survey.
The combined measure was 69% among adults with children under age 18 and 59% among adults without minor-age children. It covers any of the 5 listed visits or events, so it is broader than museum attendance alone. The figures do not indicate how many times respondents visited or what they did at a venue.
Pew also reported family science-project assistance. In the 2017 survey, 45% of parents with minor-age children and 36% of all U.S. adults said they had helped a child with a science project for school or an outside activity. The article does not state a recall period for these figures; they should not be described as past-year rates.
A separate Pew American Trends Panel survey, conducted April 29–May 5, 2020, asked about helping a child with a science project in the past year. Pew reported 44% among parents with a minor-age child. The National Science Board’s 2022 report presents a related result from that same 2020 survey: 19% of all U.S. adults said they had helped a child with a science project outside work during the prior 12 months. One result is for parents and the other for all adults; both have an explicit past-year period, unlike the 2017 figures.
Visits, project assistance, citizen-science activities, and named hobbies are distinct measures. Their populations, questions, and reference periods differ. The cited findings describe surveys conducted in 2017 and 2020, not current participation. Sources: Pew Research Center, “Citizen science, science-related hobbies and participation in informal science activities”; 2017 Questionnaire and Topline, page 1, MUSEUM; Pew Research Center, “Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research”; National Science Board, “Science and Technology: Public Perceptions, Awareness, and Information Sources”
Sources
- Citizen science, science-related hobbies and participation in informal science activities
- 2017 Science News & Information Questionnaire and Topline
- Science and Technology: Public Perceptions, Awareness, and Information Sources
- Younger, more educated U.S. adults are more likely to take part in citizen science research