A random sample of 332 Philadelphians over the age of 18 was interviewed by telephone in order to investigate the relationships between social locator variables, general media exposure, media exposure to scientific information, and public attitudes toward issues dealing with medicine and health, science and defense, understanding the complexities of science, and the threat of scientific and technological advances. The social locator variables examined included sex, educational attainment, political conservatism, and a technological exposure index. Each respondent was asked a series of 59 questions. Data analysis revealed the following: (1) education was positively related to attitudes toward science, indicating a mastery of science and technical issues; (2) political conservatism was positively related to agreement that scientific and technological superiority were necessary to keep one safe from enemies; and (3) exposure to the science media was a significant predictor of attitudes toward science, while general media exposure appeared to be the least important predictor set. (HOD)