Non-Scientists Misunderstand What Basic Research Is

A few years back, a government science agency did a poll to try to understand the public’s perceptions of the work they funded. One of the biggest surprises was how people felt about public funding for “basic research.” Most people felt the government should not be spending tax money on “basic research” at all. Instead, those funds should go into “advanced research”. 

The results showed a clear gap between what scientists mean by basic research, and what almost everyone else thinks it means.