America’s public schools may be teaching evolution, but more than one-third of the nation’s teenagers are not buying it.
America’s public schools may be teaching evolution,
but more than one-third of the nation’s teenagers are not buying it.
In addition, an overwhelming majority of American
youth say they believe God was involved in the creation of humanity in
one way or another, a new poll reveals.
The Gallup poll of 1,028 teenagers ages 13-17 found
that 38 percent do not believe in evolution, believing instead that
“God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time
within the last 10,000 years or so.” Another 43 percent said they
believe that humans “developed over millions of years from less
advanced forms of life, but God guided” the process.
Only 18 percent of youth said evolution took place without God playing a role.
The Gallup poll also asked teenagers their opinion about the evidence behind Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Thirty-seven percent said they thought Darwin’s
theory was “well supported by evidence.” Thirty percent said it was
“just one of many theories” and one that “has not been well supported
by evidence.” Thirty-three percent said they did not yet know enough to
answer the question.
Evolution has been advocated for years in schools
and even in various television specials. However, polls show many
Americans still do not believe it.
Indeed, in a Gallup poll of adults last November, 45
percent said they believed in creationism while 38 percent maintained
God guided the process of evolution. Only 13 percent of adults said
evolution occurred without God’s guidance.
A CBS News poll in November found an even larger
percentage of adults disagreeing with evolution. In that poll, a
majority of adults (55 percent) said God created humans in their
present form. Twenty-seven percent said God guided
the process of evolution, while 13 percent cited belief in a God-less
evolution.
Also, about two-thirds of adults said both
creationism and evolution should be taught, while 37 percent said
creationism should be taught instead of evolution.
“Education has changed considerably since the famous
‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ (about evolution in 1925), but the debate about
teaching evolution hasn’t ended, …” Gallup spokesperson Heather Mason
noted. “Data from Gallup Youth Surveys and adult surveys alike
reinforce the notion that evolution is far from a foregone conclusion
among large numbers of Americans.” (BP)