Public Opinion

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2017

2015

  • Oct 7. Nonreligious Americans See Evidence of Creator by Lisa Cannon Green. LifeWay Research. (USA)
    " More than 4 in 10 of the nonreligious believe physics and humanity point to a creator, LifeWay Research finds. A third say human morality indicates a creator who defines right and wrong. And although the nonreligious are less likely than other Americans to see evidence of a creator, they are more likely to agree (46 percent) than disagree (40 percent) with the statement: “Since the universe has organization, I think there is a creator who designed it.” "
    American Views on Reasons to Believe in a Creator.
  • Jul 1. Americans, Politics and Science Issues : Chapter 4: Evolution and Perceptions of Scientific Consensus by Cary Funk and Lee Rainie. Pew Research Center. (USA)
    "This report examines the general public’s views on a range of science-related topics and explores the degree to which political views, educational attainment, religion and demographic factors are connected to those views. It also focuses on the extent to which people’s knowledge about science connects to their views on these topics. The bulk of the analysis relies on data from a representative sample of 2,002 adults nationwide surveyed by landline and cellular telephone in August 2014. Some analysis from other Pew Research Center surveys is included where there is relevant data."
    "This chapter looks at public views about human evolution and perceptions of scientific consensus about evolution and the creation of the universe. Consistent with past Pew Research surveys and other public surveys, religious groups play a central role in beliefs about these topics. Numerous other factors also influence public views about evolution, however, including politics, education and science knowledge. We will examine respondents’ views about the intersection of science and religion and religious groups’ views about science-related topics in more detail in a follow-up report." Complete report. Topline Questionnaire. Major Gaps Between the Public, Scientists on Key Issues.
  • Jun 29. 2015 Ipsos Beliefs Survey. IPSOS. (USA)
    "These are findings from an Ipsos poll about extraterrestial life and perceptions on the universe. The first question looked into understanding the beliefs of American’s when it comes to UFOs, life on other planets as well as aliens/extraterrestrials visiting earth. The second group of attributes focuses on how American’s perceive the universes creation and how species on earth have come to what they are now."
    Topline results.
  • Mar 24. 2015 State of Atheism in America. Barna Group. (USA)
    "For reporting purposes at Barna, we often combine atheists and agnostics into one group, which we call skeptics. Skeptics either do not believe God exists (atheists) or are not sure God exists, but are open to the possibility (agnostics). Skeptics represent one-quarter of all unchurched adults (25%). Nearly one-third of skeptics have never attended a Christian church service in their lives (31%). That’s nearly double the proportion of “virgin unchurched” who are not skeptics (17%)."
    Infographic.

2014

  • Apr 21. Big Bang a big question for most Americans by Seth Borenstein and Jennifer Agiesta. Associate Press/GfK Poll. (USA)
    "Americans have more skepticism than confidence in global warming, the age of the Earth and evolution and have the most trouble believing a Big Bang created the universe 13.8 billion years ago." "Rather than quizzing scientific knowledge, the survey asked people to rate their confidence in several statements about science and medicine."
    Topline data
  • Feb 18. Science and Technology : Public Attitudes and Understanding Science and Engineering Indicators 2014. (USA)
    "A survey experiment showed that 48% of respondents said they thought it was true that "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals," but 72% gave this response when the same statement was prefaced by "according to the theory of evolution." Similarly, 39% of respondents said that "the universe began with a huge explosion," but 60% gave this response when the statement was prefaced by “according to astronomers." Full results report

2013

  • Dec 30. Public’s Views on Human Evolution Pew Research Center. (USA)
    "According to a new Pew Research Center analysis, six-in-ten Americans (60%) say that “humans and other living things have evolved over time,” while a third (33%) reject the idea of evolution, saying that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.” The share of the general public that says that humans have evolved over time is about the same as it was in 2009, when Pew Research last asked the question."
    Full report. Topline data results. Republicans’ views on evolution by Cary Funk
  • Jul 22. Belief in evolution up since 2004 YouGov/Omnibus Poll. (USA)
    "Overall, 21% of Americans believe that "human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, and God did not directly guide this process," while 25% believe that "human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions, but God guided this process" and 37% believe that "God created human beings in their present form within the last ten thousand years". "
    Poll report details.
  • May. Science literacy in Australia. Australian Academy of Science/Auspoll. (Australia)
    "70% of Australians think that evolution is currently occurring. ... There were also tentative, but less significant falls in the proportion of 18-24 year olds who believe that evolution is occurring or that humans are influencing the evolution of other species. ... 73% of Australians know that the earliest humans did not live at the same time as dinosaurs."
    Survey report details.

2012

  • Jan 9. Poll: Pastors oppose evolution, split on earth's age LifeWay Research. (USA)
    "When asked to respond to the statement, "I believe God used evolution to create people," 73 percent of pastors disagree, with 64 percent strongly disagreeing and 8 percent somewhat disagreeing. Twelve percent each somewhat agree and strongly agree. Four percent are not sure."
    Survey report details.

2011

  • Sep 15. GOP, Tea Party, and Evolution CNN/ORC International Poll.
    Question #24: "Do you believe that the theory of evolution is definitely true, probably true, probably false, or definitely false?" Results: "Definitely true 21%, Probably true 36%, Probably false 16%, Definitely false 25%, No opinion 3%."
  • Sep 7. Fox News Poll: Most Believe Prayer Heals, 45 Percent Believe in Creationism Fox News/Anderson Robbins Research/Shaw & Company Research. (USA)
    "Some 45 percent of voters accept the Biblical account of creation as the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth, while 21 percent say the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists is correct. Another 27 percent say both explanations are true."
    "Among white evangelical Christians, 67 percent believe in creationism, 4 percent evolution, and 24 percent accept both."
    Poll results: Fox News Poll: Creationism

2010

  • Jul 15. Americans are Creationists; Britons and Canadians Side with Evolution Angus Reid Public Opinion/Vision Critical. (Canada)
    "While a majority of people in Britain and Canada agree with the theory of evolution, almost half of Americans are in tune with creationism, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found."
    "The online survey of representative samples of 1,002 Americans, 1,009 Canadians and 2,011 Britons asked respondents whether their own point of view is closest to the notion that human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, or the idea that God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years."
  • Jul 26. Science literacy: ABC's Doh Doh Doh Auspoll. (Australia)
    Creation vs evolution questions asked:
    Q2: Is the following statement true or false? The earliest humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs.
    Q5: Do you think that evolution is occurring?
    Q6: Do you think that humans are influencing the evolution of other species?
    "Whilst the majority of Australians disagreed, three in ten people said that they believe the earliest humans coexisted with the dinosaurs. Around seven in ten (71%) believe evolution is currently occurring; Around three quarters (77%) believe humans are influencing the evolution of other species"
    "The questions in this survey replicate a previous survey conducted by the California Academy of Sciences."
  • May 27. VCU Life Sciences Survey 2010 Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences. Conducted by the VCU Center for Public Policy. (USA)
    Pages 9 through 11 of report focus on Beliefs about Evolution, Religion and Scientific Consensus.
    "Evolution, Religion and Scientific Consensus. A majority of the public has heard about the theory of evolution but most report beliefs about life’s origins that diverge sharply from it. A plurality of Americans report beliefs about the origins of life that are consistent with a “creation” perspective; 43% of the nation believes that God directly created life in its present form. Another 24% say life developed over time with guidance from God during the process; this view is compatible with an “intelligent design” or a “theistic evolution” view of life’s origins. A minority of 18% hold beliefs consistent with the theory of evolution saying that life developed over time without guidance from God."
    "Beliefs about the origins of life have not shifted significantly since the VCU Life Sciences Survey last asked about this issue in 2005. In all, 42 percent of Americans say evolution conflicts with their religious beliefs; about the same portion (43 percent) say the theory of evolution is mostly compatible with their own religious beliefs. A majority (53 percent) considers the evidence on evolution to be widely accepted within the scientific community; 31 percent think many scientists have serious doubts about this."
  • May 12. Public Opinion on Religion and Science in the United States Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (USA)
    "By contrast, according to the 2009 Pew Research Center poll on public attitudes toward science, public opinion about evolution is divided. While six-in-ten (61%) believe that evolution has occurred, many (22% overall) say it was guided by a supreme being or a higher power. Fewer than a third of those sampled (32%) believe in evolution through natural processes. At the same time, 31% of Americans directly reject evolution, believing instead that humans and other living creatures have existed in their present form since the beginning of time."
    Complete question wording and survey toplines.
  • Feb 17. Texans: Dinosaurs, Humans Walked the Earth at Same Time University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. (USA)
    "Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals..."
    "38 percent said human beings developed over millions of years with God guiding the process and another 12 percent said that development happened without God having any part of the process. Another 38 percent agreed with the statement "God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago."
    Poll results. Crosstabs: Evolution, humans and dinosaurs.

2009

  • Dec 15. What People Do and Do Not Believe in Harris Poll. (USA)
    "Less than half (45%) of adults believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution but this is more than the 40% who believe in creationism. "
    "Catholics are also somewhat more likely than all adults to believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (51% vs. 45%)"
    "But Protestants are much less likely than all adults to believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (32%)"
    "Born-again Christians are also much more likely to believe in creationism (68%), and much less likely to believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (16%)"
    "Jews are by far the most likely to believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution (80%) and the least likely to believe in creationism (20%)"
  • Nov 5. Public Opinion on Religion and Science in the United States Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (USA)
    "The strongest opposition to the idea of evolution comes from evangelical Protestants. A majority of evangelical Protestants (55%) say that humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time, while an additional 20% contend that life has evolved but under the guidance of a supreme being or higher power; only 10% think evolution occurred due to natural processes."
  • Apr 12. As Christians Mark the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ this Easter: Men Fall Away From Grace Ipsos Reid/Canwest News Service/Global National. (Canada)
    "Debate continues to swirl over the origin of human beings, and Canadians are split on the matter. One in three (31%) consider themselves to be 'creationists' and believe that 'human beings were in fact created by a spiritual force such as the God they believe in and do not believe that the origin of man came from evolving from other species such as apes'. Interestingly, only four in ten (41%) believers are creationists." Press release from Ipsos Reid.
  • Mar. Clergy Voices: Findings from the 2008 Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey
    NOTE: This has been moved to the Teaching creation/evolution/ID in public schools survey/opinion page.
  • Mar 2. What is Darwin's legacy? ComRes/Theos Poll. (United Kingdom)
    "The debate around Darwinism is dogged by uncertainty and confusion. How many people are evolutionists? How many creationists? How many advocates of Intelligent Design? What are the characteristics of each group? Is Intelligent Design a religious phenomenon? Are the majority of creationists Christians? Are they Muslims? Have they any religious affiliations? Do any of these groups have distinctive demographic, political or educational characteristics that might help us understand better the present intellectual landscape?"
    "Research into these questions, at least in the UK, has been very limited. In January 2006, Ipsos/MORI asked the general public whether they believed in the “evolution theory”, the “creationism theory” or the “intelligent design theory”. Six months later OpinionPanel asked university students the same question."
    Read the final report: Faith and Darwin: Harmony, Conflict, or Confusion? and the Belief Map of the UK, which shows regional breakdowns.
  • Feb 25. California Academy of Sciences Survey Shows American Adults Flunk Basic Science. Harris Interactive/California Academy of Science. (USA)
    "Over the past few months, the American government has allocated hundreds of billions of dollars for economic bailout plans. While this spending may provide a short-term solution to the country`s economic woes, most analysts agree that the long-term solution must include a transition to a more knowledge-based economy, including a focus on science, which is now widely recognized as a major driver of innovation and industry. Despite its importance to economic growth, environmental protection and global health and energy issues, scientific literacy is currently low among American adults. According to the national survey commissioned by the California Academy of Sciences:
    Only 53% of adults know how long it takes for the Earth to revolve around the Sun.
    Only 59% of adults know that the earliest humans and dinosaurs did not live at the same time.
    Only 47% of adults can roughly approximate the percent of the Earth`s surface that is covered with water.
    Only 21% of adults answered all three questions correctly."
  • Feb 21. Darwin, wetenschap en geloof Maurice de Hond/Peil.nl. (Netherlands)
    "Darwin 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. (USA)
    "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 4. Religious Groups' Views on Evolution Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (USA)
    Report covers (with links) the following denominations and religious groups: Buddhism, Catholicism, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Southern Baptist Convention, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.
  • Feb 5. On Darwin's 200th Birthday, Americans Still Divided About Evolution Pew Research Center. (USA)
    "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. 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. (USA)
    "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."
  • Jan. Evolution and Science: a National Survey FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Journal, Vol. 22, No. 1. (USA)
    "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. 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. (USA)
    "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. Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution: More Americans accept theory of creationism than evolution USA Today/Gallup Poll. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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. (USA)

2006

  • Aug 11. Public Acceptance of Evolution Science, Vol. 313. no. 5788, pp. 765-766. Authors: Jon D. Miller, Eugenie C. Scott, and Shinji Okamoto. (USA)
    "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
  • Apr 6-9. CBS News Poll.(USA)
  • Mar 8. American Beliefs: Evolution vs. Bible's Explanation of Human Origins: Education, church attendance, partisanship related to beliefs Gallup Poll. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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. Most Americans Engaged in Debate About Evolution, Creation: Majorities have thought about it and care which explanation is correct CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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)"
  • Aug 30. Public Divided on Origins of Life: Religion A Strength And Weakness For Both Parties The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (USA)
    "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. Nearly Two-thirds of U.S. Adults Believe Human Beings Were Created by God: Opinions are divided about evolution theories Harris Poll. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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).(USA)
  • Mar 8. Darwin or Divine? Teens' Views on Origin of Species: Teens slightly more likely than adults to believe evolutionist theory Gallup Youth Survey. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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. 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. (USA)
    "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. (USA)
    "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. 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. (USA)
    "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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