Public Opinion

is deze week 200 jaar geleden geboren. Naar aanleiding hiervan zijn er vragen gesteld over het geloof en de evolutietheorie en andere aspecten die te maken hebben met wetenschap en/of geloof."
"The great majority of small Christian party ChristenUnie voters reject the theory of evolution. And in the case of the Christian democrats (CDA), only a bare majority accept that humans are

descended from apes, according to pollster Maurice de Hond.
"This year is the 200th centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin, on the occasion of which De Hond carried out the poll on his

discoveries. Some 72 percent accept the evolution theory, 19 percent reject it and 9 percent have no views.
"The theory is most broadly accepted among leftwing Green (GroenLinks) voters at 91

percent, and conservative (VVD) voters at 83 percent. Among the voters for CDA, the biggest government party, the figure is 57 percent and among ChristenUnie supporters, just 25 percent.
"Of

the total sample, 31 percent believe a God exists who exercises influence on what happens on Earth. Some 56 percent do not believe this and 13 percent have no views." --

NIS News Bulletin

Feb 11. On Darwin’s Birthday, Only 4 in 10 Believe in Evolution Gallup Poll.
"On the eve of the 200th

anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution," while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and

another 36% don't have an opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to education and, to an even greater degree, religiosity."

Feb 5. On Darwin's 200th Birthday, Americans Still Divided About Evolution Pew Research Center.
"Opinion polls over the

past two decades have found the American public deeply divided in its beliefs about the origins and development of life on earth. Surveys are fairly consistent in their estimates of how many

Americans believe in evolution or creationism. Approximately 40%-50% of the public accepts a biblical creationist account of the origins of life, while comparable or slightly larger numbers accept the

idea that humans evolved over time. The wording of survey questions generally makes little systematic difference in this division of opinion, and there has been little change in the percentage of the

public who reject the idea of evolution."
While not a new survey, this article summarizes the different approaches to surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization.

Feb 2. Does Darwinism need rescuing? ComRes/Theos Poll. (United Kingdom)

"The data are available in the report Rescuing Darwin. Sample data tables are available

here. The full data analysis will be available in a report written by ComRes, who conducted the research, and published

by Theos in early March."

2008

Dec 10. [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=982 More Americans Believe in the Devil, Hell and Angels than in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Nearly 25% of Americans

Believe They Were Once another Person] Harris Poll.
"That very large majorities of the American public believe in God, miracles, the survival of the soul after death, the resurrection of Jesus

Christ, and the Virgin birth will come as no great surprise. What may be more surprising is that substantial minorities believe in ghosts, UFOs, witches, astrology, and the belief that they themselves

were once other people. Overall, more people believe in the devil, hell and angels than believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution."
"These are some of the results of The Harris Poll, a new

nationwide survey of 2,126 U.S. adults surveyed online between November 10 and 17, 2008 by Harris Interactive."

Nov 24. Theos Darwin's Anniversary Poll November 2008

ComRes/Theos Poll. (United Kingdom)
"Public poll exploring awareness of Darwin's 2009 anniversary." Out of 2000 people surveyed, only 429 correctly guessed Charles Darwin. 1457 did not

know!

Aug 5. Canadians Believe Human Beings Evolved Over Millions of Years Angus Reid Poll. (Canada)
"A majority of Canadians believe

in the theory of evolution while roughly one-in-five accept creationism, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll reveals."
"In the online survey of a representative national sample, 58 per cent of

respondents believe that human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years. In turn, 22 per cent say God created humans in their present form in the past 10,000 years."

Jun 20. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/108226/Republicans-Democrats-Differ-Creationism.aspx Republicans, Democrats Differ on Creationism: Republicans much more likely than Democrats to

believe humans created as-is 10,000 years ago] Gallup Poll.
"There is a significant political divide in beliefs about the origin of human beings, with 60% of Republicans saying humans were

created in their present form by God 10,000 years ago, a belief shared by only 40% of independents and 38% of Democrats."

May. Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design Gallup Poll. Summary of 9 Gallup polls conducted over 26

years, including one conducted May 8-11, 2008.

Jan. Evolution and Science: a National Survey FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Journal, Vol. 22, No. 1.
"A

coalition of scientific societies and science teachers has conducted a national survey of likely U.S. voters to examine acceptance of evolution, attitudes toward science and scientists, and opportunities

for promoting science education. Most of these folk who responded to the survey accepted that life evolved, many accepted that it evolved through natural processes, and more favored teaching

evolution than creationism or intelligent design in science classes. The majority ranked “developing medicines” and “curing diseases” as the most important contributions of science to society. They

also found that “promoting understanding of evolutionary science’s contribution to medicine” was a convincing reason to teach evolution. The respondents viewed scientists, teachers, and medical

professionals favorably, and most were interested in hearing from these groups about science, including evolution. These data suggest that the scientific community has an important role to play in

encouraging public support for science education."

2007

Nov 29. [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=838 The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans: More People Believe in the Devil, Hell, and Angels Than Believe in Darwin’s

Theory of Evolution] Harris Poll.
"That very large majorities of the American public believe in God, miracles, the survival of the soul after death, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the

Virgin Birth will come as no great surprise. What may be more surprising is that substantial minorities believe in ghosts, UFOs, witches, astrology, and reincarnation – the belief that they themselves

were once another people. More than six in ten believe in hell and the devil. Overall, more people believe in the Devil, Hell and angels than believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution."
"These are

some of the findings of a Harris Poll of 2,455 U.S. adults conducted online by Harris Interactive® between November 7 and 13, 2007."

Aug. Morality, Religion, and Evolution: A Comparison of New Zealand and the United States UMR

Research (New Zealand)
"Given three options, 40% of New Zealanders plumped for the view that human beings have evolved over millions of years from other forms of life, but God had no part

in the process; 27% for the view that human beings have evolved over millions of years from other forms of life and God guided this process and 24% for the literal creationist view that God created

human beings in their present form exactly the why the Bible describes it."

Jul 3. Evolution v Creationism? Canadian Press-Decima Research (Canada).
"A new Canadian Press-Decima

Research poll shows: Less than one in three Canadians (29%) believe that God had no part in the creation or development of human beings. Fewer still (26%) believe “that God created human beings

pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so”. A plurality, but still only 34%, say that “human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced

forms of life, but God guided this process”."

Jun 18. Creationist Museum Opens - DO Canadians Believe in Evolution or Creationism? Angus Reid Poll (Canada).
"Canadians

strongly believe humans developed through evolution, but they don’t quite understand what the theory means, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found."
" In the online survey of a

representative national sample, three-in-five Canadians (59%) agree that human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years. Just 22 per cent believe that God created human

beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years—the theory of creationism espoused by the new Big Valley Creation Science Museum in Alberta, the country’s first creationist museum."

Jun 14. Belief In God. The Gallup Poll Daily Briefing with Frank Newport. Video.
"What percentage of Americans believe in God? the

Devil? angels? heaven? hell?"

Jun 11. Evolution Beliefs. The Gallup Poll Daily Briefing with Frank Newport. Video.
"Gallup's latest data on Americans'

thoughts on evolution."

Jun 11. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/27847/Majority-Republicans-Doubt-Theory-Evolution.aspx Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution: More Americans accept theory of creationism

than evolution] USA Today/Gallup Poll.
"The majority of Republicans in the United States do not believe the theory of evolution is true and do not believe that humans evolved over millions of

years from less advanced forms of life. This suggests that when three Republican presidential candidates at a May debate stated they did not believe in evolution, they were generally in sync with the

bulk of the rank-and-file Republicans whose nomination they are seeking to obtain."

May 25. One-Third of Americans Believe the Bible Is Literally True. Gallup Poll.
"About one-third

of the American adult population believes the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally word for word. This percentage is slightly lower than several decades ago. The majority of those

Americans who don't believe that the Bible is literally true believe that it is the inspired word of God but that not everything it in should be taken literally. About one in five Americans believe the

Bible is an ancient book of "fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man." "

Mar 28-29. Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

2006

Dec. [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 Religious Views and Beliefs Vary Greatly by Country, According to the Latest: People in the U.S. more likely to

believe in God or any kind of Supreme Being than those in five European countries] Financial Times/Harris Poll.
"A Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll conducted among adults in the United

States and in five European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and Spain) shows that Americans are more likely than Europeans to believe in any form of God or Supreme Being (73%).

Of the European adults surveyed, Italians are the most likely to express this belief (62%) and, in contrast, the French are the least likely (27%)."

Oct 31. [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=707 While Most U.S. Adults Believe in God, Only 58 Percent are "Absolutely Certain": There is no consensus on God’s gender,

form or degree of control over events on earth.] Harris Poll.
"Multinational surveys have often reported that Americans are much more likely to believe in God than people in most other

developed countries, particularly in Europe. However, a new Harris Poll finds that 42 percent of all U.S. adults say they are not "absolutely certain" there is a God, including 15 percent who are

"somewhat certain," 11 percent who think there is probably no God and 16 percent who are not sure."
"These are the results of a Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive between

October 4 and 10, 2006 with a nationwide sample of 2,010 U.S. adults."

Aug 11. Public Acceptance of Evolution Science, Vol. 313. no. 5788, pp. 765-766. Authors: Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, and

Shinji Okamoto.
"Beginning in 1985, national samples of U.S. adults have been asked whether the statement, “Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals,” is

true or false, or whether the respondent is not sure or does not know. We compared the results of these surveys with survey data from nine European countries in 2002, surveys in 32 European

countries in 2005, and a national survey in Japan in 2001." Summary chart of 34 countries Link to actual article (must have online access

to Science): Public Acceptance of Evolution. Supporting Online Material

Jun 5. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/23200/Almost-Half-Americans-Believe-Humans-Did-Evolve.aspx Almost Half of Americans Believe Humans Did Not Evolve: Religion is major predictor of

attitudes toward human origin] Gallup Poll.
"A recent Gallup Poll shows that almost half of Americans believe that human beings did not evolve, but were created by God in their present form

within the last 10,000 years or so."
"These conclusions are based on responses to a specific Gallup Poll question that provides respondents with three alternative explanations for the "origin and

development of human beings"."

Apr 6-9. CBS News Poll.

Mar 8. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/21811/American-Beliefs-Evolution-vs-Bibles-Explanation-Human-Origins.aspx American Beliefs: Evolution vs. Bible's Explanation of Human Origins:

Education, church attendance, partisanship related to beliefs] Gallup Poll.
"Controversy about the origin of human beings continues to rage even today, nearly 150 years after the publication of

Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. School districts have attempted, with varying degrees of legal success, to force teachers to teach students that the Darwinian, evolutionary explanation for the

origin of life is just one of many theories. Advocates of the "creationism" perspective (and to some degree, the newer "intelligent design" perspective) continue to argue that the biblical story of creation

-- in which God created humans in their present form on the sixth day of creation -- is as viable and as valid as the evolutionary perspective. Scientists largely assume that the argument should be

over and that the evolutionary explanation is so well established by scientific evidence that there is no longer any room for debate."

2005

Dec 14. The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2005 Harris Poll.
"That very large majorities of the American public

believe in God, miracles, the survival of the soul after death, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Virgin birth will come as no great surprise. What may be more surprising is that

significant minorities believe in ghosts, UFOs, witches, astrology, and in reincarnation – the belief that they were themselves reincarnated from other people. Six in ten believe in hell and the

devil."
"These are some of the findings of The Harris Poll of 889 U.S. adults conducted online by Harris Interactive between November 15 and 22, 2005."

Oct 23. Majority Reject Evolution: 51 Percent Believe God Created Humans CBS News Poll.
"Most

Americans do not accept the theory of evolution. Instead, 51 percent of Americans say God created humans in their present form, and another three in 10 say that while humans evolved, God guided

the process. Just 15 percent say humans evolved, and that God was not involved."
"These views are similar to what they were in November 2004 shortly after the presidential election."

Oct 13. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/19207/Most-Americans-Engaged-Debate-About-Evolution-Creation.aspx Most Americans Engaged in Debate About Evolution, Creation: Majorities have

thought about it and care which explanation is correct] CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll.
"The debate about how human beings came to exist on Earth has simmered in American public

discourse for a long time. Most Americans are engaged in the debate to some degree, according to a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll -- three-quarters say they have thought at least a moderate

amount about the origin of human beings, and two-thirds say it matters to them which theory about how human beings came to exist is correct. Americans are more likely to endorse a purely

creationist view of the origin of humans than a purely evolutionary view or a view involving elements of both. Majorities of the public say evolution and creationism should be taught in public school

science classes, while fewer believe intelligent design should be taught.

Sep 25. Reading The Polls On Evolution And Creationism Pew Research

Center.
"Consider for example the approaches taken by Pew and Gallup... The two organizations find similar numbers in favor of a creationist position – 42% for Pew, 45% for Gallup – although

each describes the concept in decidedly different terms. But Pew finds far more people believing in natural selection (26% vs. 13% for Gallup) while Gallup finds more subscribing to the view that God

or a supreme being guided the evolutionary process (38% vs. 18% for Pew)."

Sep 23. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/18748/Most-Americans-Tentative-About-OriginofLife-Explanations.aspx Most Americans Tentative About Origin-of-Life Explanations: Public says evolution,

creationism probably true; divided on intelligent design] Gallup Poll.
"Gallup polling suggests that indeed most Americans believe God played some part in the development or creation of the

human species, though relatively few people are very familiar with the term "intelligent design." While close to half of all Americans (45%) say they are "very familiar" with evolution, and an equal

percentage say that about creationism, only 17% say they are this familiar with intelligent design."

Aug 30. Public Divided on Origins of Life: Religion A Strength And Weakness For Both Parties

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
"Most Americans believe that God was responsible for the creation of life on earth but divide on the question of whether and how life has changed

since the creation. Overall, 78% say God created life on earth, while 5% think a universal spirit or higher power was responsible for the creation."
"Despite this broad agreement regarding the

origins of life, the public is deeply divided on precisely how life developed. A plurality of Americans (48%) say that humans and other living things have evolved over time, but nearly as many (42%) say

that humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time. The latter group is often called "creationist" because this view is seen as consistent with a literal

reading of the Bible's account of creation."

Jul 6. [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=581 Nearly Two-thirds of U.S. Adults Believe Human Beings Were Created by God: Opinions are divided about evolution

theories] Harris Poll.
"Earlier this year, the State Board of Education in Kansas reignited an old debate – whether or not creationism should be taught in public schools – and shone the

spotlight on a new theory, intelligent design. While many in the scientific community may question why this issue has been raised again, a new national survey shows that almost two-thirds of U.S.

adults (64%) agree with the basic tenet of creationism, that "human beings were created directly by God.""

May 23. Majority of Physicians Give the Nod to Evolution Over Intelligent Design Louis Finkelstein Institute for Social and Religious Research

at The Jewish Theological Seminary and HCD Research in Flemington, New Jersey.
"Results of a national survey of 1,472 physicians revealed that more than half of physicians (63%) agree that

the theory of evolution is more correct than intelligent design."
"The study was conducted by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Social and Religious Research at The Jewish Theological

Seminary and HCD Research in Flemington, New Jersey, from May 13-15. The study was conducted as part of a continuing investigation of the social, political, and economic issues confronting the

U.S. health care system. The margin of error for the study was plus or minus 3% at a 95% level of confidence."

Mar 8-10. NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R).

Mar 8. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/15163/Darwin-Divine-Teens-Views-Origin-Species.aspx Darwin or Divine? Teens' Views on Origin of Species: Teens slightly more likely than adults to believe

evolutionist theory] Gallup Youth Survey.
"Evolution means different things to different people. Some see Charles Darwin's theory as indisputable scientific fact. Other people claim evolution is

just an unproven hypothesis, and believe the biblical story of creation -- in which God created humans in their current form -- is indisputable. There are, of course, countless nuanced opinions that

fall somewhere in between."
"Many battles have been waged over whether and how evolution or creationism (or both) should be taught in the nation's schools. The most recent Gallup Youth

Survey* asked U.S. teenagers what they think about man's origins and found predictably mixed feelings."

2004

Nov 21. Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution CBS News. Poll was conducted November 18-21, 2004.
"Americans do not believe that humans evolved, and the vast majority says that even if they evolved, God guided the process. Just 13 percent say that God was not involved. But most would not

substitute the teaching of creationism for the teaching of evolution in public schools."
"Support for evolution is more heavily concentrated among those with more education and among those

who attend religious services rarely or not at all."
"There are also differences between voters who supported Kerry and those who supported Bush: 47 percent of John Kerry's voters think God

created humans as they are now, compared with 67 percent of Bush voters."

Nov 19. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/14107/Third-Americans-Say-Evidence-Has-Supported-Darwins-Evolution-Theory.aspx Third of Americans Say Evidence Has Supported Darwin's Evolution

Theory: Almost half of Americans believe God created humans 10,000 years ago] Gallup Poll.
"Some 145 years after the publication of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, controversy about

the validity and implications of his theory still rages. Darwin personally encountered much resistance after his book was published in 1859. Seventy-nine years ago, the famous Scopes Monkey Trial

in Tennessee brought the issue of exactly where human beings came from into sharp public focus in the United States. Indeed, as recently as this month, a court case in Cobb County, Ga., dealing

with the treatment of evolution and creationism in school textbooks received nationwide publicity. November's National Geographic Magazine asked on its cover:

"Was Darwin Wrong?" and then proceeded to devote 33 pages to answering that question."

Aug. Hawker Britton Omnibus Hawker Britton/UMR Research (Australia)
"Which do you think

is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth: the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists, the biblical account of creation as told in the

Bible, or are both true?" Theory of evolution: 43%. Biblical account: 28%. Both: 12%. Unsure: 17%.

2002

May. High School Students' Attitudes toward Creation and Evolution Compared To Their Worldview David Ray/Institute for Creation Research.

"The Scriptures reveal (I Corinthians 2:14-16 and Romans 1:20) that there exists a dichotomy between those that believe the Creation account and those who do not. Only the truly born-again

believer is able to take every thought and attitude and compare it to the thoughts and attitudes of the Creator Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 10:5 and Colossians 1:16). Accepting this God-ordained

worldview is vital to a correct view of the clash between Biblical theism and naturalism—a clash between two all encompassing worldviews, a "Creationist Worldview" and an "Evolutionary Worldview."

This dichotomy of world-views was thoroughly investigated by David Ray; his findings are summarized in this article."

2001

Mar 5. [http://www.gallup.com/poll/1942/Substantial-Numbers-Americans-Continue-Doubt-Evolution-Explan.aspx Substantial Numbers of Americans Continue to Doubt Evolution as Explanation

for Origin of Humans: Some Americans appear uncertain as to meaning of terms, however] Gallup Poll.
"Although most scientists subscribe to the theory of evolution as the best explanation for

the origin of human beings, a recent Gallup poll shows that the American public is much more divided in its own beliefs. Americans choose "creationism" over "evolution" when asked which of these

two terms best describes human origins, but slightly larger numbers of Americans choose one of two evolutionist explanations than choose a strict creationist explanation when given a choice

between three specific views. At the same time, only about a third of the public say that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is well supported by evidence."

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