The Latest Poll on Evolution

While I find it terrifying that we still have to ask this question in the 21st Century, Pew Research released a new public opinion poll on Evolution on December 30th.

Overall 60% of the public accepts the Evolution of humans while 33% reject it and say we've existed in our present form since the "beginning" (whenever that was).

What's interesting is the variation based upon political affiliation. Democrats by 67%-27% and Independents by 65%-28% accept Evolution. But that's a minority position among Republicans where only 43% accept Evolution while 48% reject it.

I've always said the Republicans were stuck in the 1950s. Guess I'm wrong, most are stuck in the 1850s.

The good news is that rejection of Evolution, like rejection of Gay Marriage, appears to be a literally dying position. While in all age groups a majority accept Evolution, the amount decreases by age as follows:

Age 18-29:  68%-28%
Age 30-49:  60%-33%
Age 50-64:  59%-35%
65 & Older: 49%-36%

Education makes a big difference. Those with at least a college degree accept Evolution by 72%-24%; those with at least some college accept it by 62%-33 and those with HS or less by only 51%-38%.

By religion, White Evangelical Protestants, also known as the village idiots, REJECT Evolution by 64%-27%, as do Black Protestants by 50%-44%. At the other extreme White Mainline Protestants accept Evolution by 78%-15%, the Unaffiliated by 76%-20% and White Catholics by 68%-26%. Hispanic Catholics accept it by 53%-41%.

Someone should tell Catholics that Evolution is the "accepted" position of the Catholic Church. I put "accepted" in quotes because I suspect that 83% of Jesuits are working night and day to keep it that way.

One surprising difference is that while men accept Evolution by 65%-28%, women only accept it by 58%-38%.