A poll of 1,200 Australians to find out what issues people are most interested in has found science outranks sport.

The annual poll conducted by the Australian National University also found the economy and jobs remain at the top of the list.

Report author Will Grant says science seems to resonate with most people because, like the economy, it has a direct effect on their lives.

"I'm quite surprised about the finding that Australians are more interested about science than sport," he said.

"It goes directly against our national stereotypes.

"Just about everyone was interested in various sorts of science news, the environment, health, medical discoveries, new technologies, those kind of things - but there's a big chunk of people that just aren't interested in sports news at all."