I've had similar thoughts on how this sort of thinking can be countered. The irrational fear of mathematics and science at school as a 'hard' subject is possibly a starting point. I have many students ask why they would ever use abstract mathematics or physics in their 'real' lives. Well, the tools of logic and reason are the lights for discovering a path out of darkness. Applicable in every situation, abstract or practical... Belief or wish is nice, but the universe just doesn't care.

Teaching and education from the beginning... You can't fix the lost... Only alter the centre of balance. Primary school teachers need to be able to pass on the wonder of science, but if they are low paid and attract only those who have no proficiency with these tools then we get what we paid for.