From multiple politicians with surprisingly little science knowledge to the slipping international status of our research programs, healthcare system and math and science education, many American voters are hoping that the next presidential candidate will revitalize science in the United States. At least, that's what this poll from Research!America suggests.

"Research and innovation, despite its contributions to the nation's health and the economy, has been given short-shrift by candidates this year — even as funding for research is at high risk in budget discussions," said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America said in a statement. "This is troubling given the fact that deep spending cuts for government supported research and failure to adopt policies promoting competitiveness could drastically slow the pace of discovery and development at a time when health threats are expanding in many communities."

From the release:

The National Public Opinion Poll was conducted online in August 2012 by JZ Analytics for Research!America. The poll has a sample size of 1,052 likely U.S. voters with a theoretical sampling error of +/- 3.1%.