Poll: Majority Reject Evolution

(CBS)  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.

VIEWS ON EVOLUTION/CREATIONISM

Now
God created humans in present form
51%
Humans evolved, God guided the process
30%
Humans evolved, God did not guide process
15%

Nov. 2004
God created humans in present form
55%
Humans evolved, God guided the process
27%
Humans evolved, God did not guide process
13%

This question on the origin of human beings, asked both this month and in November 2004, offered the public three alternatives: 1. Human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, and God did not directly guide this process; 2. Human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years, but God guided this process; or 3. God created human beings in their present form.

The results were not much different between the answers to that question and those given when a specific timeline was included in the final alternative: God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years.

Americans most likely to believe in only evolution are liberals (36 percent), those who rarely or never attend religious services (25 percent), and those with a college degree or higher (24 percent).

White evangelicals (77 percent), weekly churchgoers (74 percent) and conservatives (64 percent), are mostly likely to say God created humans in their present form.

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[doubleecho-2009]

Now THAT is a REALLY sad poll to see! When Americans are SO misinformed on such a basic science question as this, it really staggers the imagination that there are REALLY that many stupid people in America!

[BIMeyers]

We promote openness, you guys are the real enemies of intelligence and education, not us. If you weren't all just religious Darwinists who want to indoctrinate people to believe a different philosophy, you could tell, this is a FACT. Look at what the UK just did, made it impossible to teach ID in free schools, restricting freedom. YOU are the ones restricting free thinking. We want them both taught, not a one sided teaching like you. Plus, we share the evidence, how you LOOK at the evidence is what shapes the interpretation. It's called presuppositions, I see similarities in creatures and interpret it as a common designer, you say it means they evolved.

[ge556]

You claim to want "Both" taught. What makes you think there are only 2 possible stories of origins? The one that has evidence and the one supported by your faith. There are an infinite number of possible stories, and yours has no more support than the rest of the made-up ones. Evolution is the only one that has evidence.

[doubleecho-2009]

Reminds me of a grade school playground rant! WHY should we take YOUR view over sound science?

[BIMeyers]

For all you closed minded ignorant people who think both aren't equally valid or can't both be taught, how about using your brains for a second, science cannot prove that God exists, true, neither can science prove a single-celled organism can pop out of nowhere and evolve into a man. If you were to actually look at the evidence with an open mind you'd realize evolution and creation both take faith, and that both can neither be proven nor disproven because neither are science, they're philosophy because you cannot test it via scientific method. You people who yell "The Christian Taliban are winning" or "at least educated people still believe evolution" guess what? You guys are doing the brainwashing and indoctrinating. We promote open thinking, you promote forcing it on them. And, "educated" people only believe it because it's forced on them, if EVERYONE thought for themselves the poll would probably be a lot different, there'd be more of EVERY side. Also, Chris Darwin believes in thinking for yourself, Darwin's great grandson, Darwin himself would too, yet modern religious Darwinists don't? Dawkins has hijacked evolution and made his own religion, Darwinian evolution is a lot different from Dawkins' evolution, which instils hate in other groups who think different and promotes ignorance and intolerance. Follow Darwin's example, let people THINK, don't just impose, promote both ideas and let kids come to THEIR conclusions, not their teachers. Us creationists don't want evolution aboloshed from schools like the media and you guys make it out to be, we want BOTH taught.

[ge556]

Creationists tried and tried to get evolution abolished from schools, and were winning the battle for a long time, in many states. Fortunately, the SCOTUS recognized creationism, and then ID, as religious ideas, not science.

[notreich]

The world is going to start worrying about US having nukes. If this poll were true it would be hard to over estimate how much that would worry the Europeans. If they thought that 51% of our population really believed that humans were just zapped into existence in an instant! In backward outposts like Scandanavia and Germany you are hard pressed to find a single person who believes that. At least educated and well-read Americans believe in evolution. That's something.

[ge556]

"Believe me it takes more "faith" to believe in the many myths of evolution than that a Divine Being created the universe."

====

Utter nonsense. There's NO evidence of anything supernatural, let alone an omnipotent God. Only faith makes anyone think God exists.

There's a huge amount of evidence of evolution, and most of it is intuitive once you understand the basics.

[Mike_in_USA]

In effect, the questioning of a scientific theory is forbidden. I am sure that at one time the questioning of the scientific theory of the world as the center of the universe was not permitted either. Isn't science the free questioning of ANY THEORY? However, the questioning of evolution theory is, at times, forbidden. If you think the church used an iron fist to control science, then you must admit that is exactly what you are doing by teaching evolution as the one-and-only possibility.
Or, in the 'readers digest' version, what are you so afraid of?

[ge556]

Wrong. Questioning is not forbidden. In fact, it is encouraged, if you use reason and evidence. What is forbidden is teaching religion in a public school. Creationism and ID are religious beliefs, not scientific theories. Evolution is not the only possibility, but it's the only theory we have, which means it has lots of evidence, and the evidence fits together well.

What I am afraid of is an anti-scientific population, and government officials, leading to bad decisions. For example, anti-scientific attitudes are endangering the future of the planet by denying the very real and imminent dangers of global warming.

[FL_Son]

A summary of these findings would be that if one is educated then one is able to comprehend what a term like Theory of Evolution means. Once one is able to understand what is behind Evolution theory then it's truth shines clearly. For those who are ignorant of what is behind the theory of evolution then any jerkwater pulpit fool can tell them anything and they will swallow it whole.
Americans are becoming a sad,ignorant,and negative bunch of losers.

[elliesamericana]

I think this is a problem in our basic educational system. We need to emphacize the sciences & critical thinking. Evolution needs to be taught early in the first science classes and we need to keep creationists and intelligent design prosyletizers out of it. Science has a place in our schools, religion does not. Respectfully, retired US Army Medical Officer.

[ginvi]

I don't think this poll was very accurate. Doesn't seem that they asked many people, and even if the people questioned were picked so the statistics were right, I don't think they asked enough people. 900 or so people, even if statistically chosen, just doesn't seem to be enough to be accurate.

[cpmcjr]

You should not comment on statistics if you do not know how they work.

[mollydtt]

How depressing.
Religions are why we have most of our wars. So yeah, we haven't "evolved".

[formerusmcsgt1]

Poll: Majority Reject Evolution
----
How reassuring.

The majority prefers mythology over science.

Sheesh.