A recent Gallup poll found that a majority – a slim majority – of Republicans believe God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000 years. I find that surprising, but I’m equally surprised that 34% of Democrats also reject evolution. Overall, 40% of all Americans fall into that camp. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised because:
These views have been generally stable over the last 28 years. Acceptance of the creationist viewpoint has decreased slightly over time, with a concomitant rise in acceptance of a secular evolution perspective. But these shifts have not been large, and the basic structure of beliefs about human beings’ origins is generally the same as it was in the early 1980s.
Americans’ attitudes about almost anything can and often do have political consequences. Views on the origins of humans are no exception. Debates and clashes over which explanations for human origins should be included in school textbooks have persisted for decades. With 40% of Americans continuing to hold to an anti-evolutionary belief about the origin of humans, it is highly likely that these types of debates will continue.
So I guess I knew this already, but I was surprised when I read the reminder.
Same 40% figure cited in Richard Dawkins’ book on evolution, “The Greatest Show On Earth,” which I happen to be reading now. Good book.