I guess I could have posted this in Civics as well
And the abstract from the paper, Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 1985–2020 can be read below:
The poll that had typically shown the split being close to even over the years has been the Gallup poll, which has been long criticized for limiting the choices offered (Humans evolved with God guiding; Humans evolved but God had no part in the process; and God created humans in present form) forcing those asked to pick a category they might not agree with. When other polls (PEW for one IIRC), added responses like... I don't know/unsure, and the results were starkly different. The main effect was in the God created humans in present form group (anti-evolution), which shrank substantially.
IOW, the majority of Americans have accepted evolution for several years now which can be seen even in the Gallup polls if you bother to combine the first two categories (those that think it was God-driven and those that think it was entirely a "natural" materialistic process). Combined that number has been over 50% for roughly the last decade and a half.
And the abstract from the paper, Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 1985–2020 can be read below:
Abstract
The public acceptance of evolution in the United States is a long-standing problem. Using data from a series of national surveys collected over the last 35 years, we find that the level of public acceptance of evolution has increased in the last decade after at least two decades in which the public was nearly evenly divided on the issue. A structural equation model indicates that increasing enrollment in baccalaureate-level programs, exposure to college-level science courses, a declining level of religious fundamentalism, and a rising level of civic scientific literacy are responsible for the increased level of public acceptance.
The public acceptance of evolution in the United States is a long-standing problem. Using data from a series of national surveys collected over the last 35 years, we find that the level of public acceptance of evolution has increased in the last decade after at least two decades in which the public was nearly evenly divided on the issue. A structural equation model indicates that increasing enrollment in baccalaureate-level programs, exposure to college-level science courses, a declining level of religious fundamentalism, and a rising level of civic scientific literacy are responsible for the increased level of public acceptance.
The poll that had typically shown the split being close to even over the years has been the Gallup poll, which has been long criticized for limiting the choices offered (Humans evolved with God guiding; Humans evolved but God had no part in the process; and God created humans in present form) forcing those asked to pick a category they might not agree with. When other polls (PEW for one IIRC), added responses like... I don't know/unsure, and the results were starkly different. The main effect was in the God created humans in present form group (anti-evolution), which shrank substantially.
IOW, the majority of Americans have accepted evolution for several years now which can be seen even in the Gallup polls if you bother to combine the first two categories (those that think it was God-driven and those that think it was entirely a "natural" materialistic process). Combined that number has been over 50% for roughly the last decade and a half.
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