[one-more-minute]

As someone from the UK, I haven't really noticed this. Is it a US thing? (Possibly related to there being less religious thinking in Europe in general?)

I've always felt that as a culture we see STEM degrees as more "real" or valuable than more social subjects (for better or worse), in sharp contrast to historical thinking. On top of that, TV series about science and mathematics (astronomy in particular) only seem to be becoming more common and popular.

[vinay427]

As someone from the US, I think the examples you gave (how degrees are perceived and TV series) also apply here. However, I feel like while STEM qualifications are well-regarded as challenging yet necessary, they have lost some of their glory from a few decades ago during the Cold War, etc. (as portrayed in history textbooks, anyway) when it was more of an immediate national security priority.