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June 1st, 2012
03:46 PM ET
Survey: Nearly half of Americans subscribe to creationist view of human originsBy Dan Merica, CNN (CNN) - Forty-six percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form at one point within the past 10,000 years, according to a survey released by Gallup on Friday. That number has remained unchanged for the past 30 years, since 1982, when Gallup first asked the question on creationism versus evolution. Thirty years ago, 44% of the people who responded said they believed that God created humans as we know them today - only a 2-point difference from 2012. "Despite the many changes that have taken place in American society and culture over the past 30 years, including new discoveries in biological and social science, there has been virtually no sustained change in Americans' views of the origin of the human species since 1982," wrote Gallup's Frank Newport. "All in all, there is no evidence in this trend of a substantial movement toward a secular viewpoint on human origins." The second most common view is that humans evolved with God's guidance - a view held by 32% of respondents. The view that humans evolved with no guidance from God was held by 15% of respondents. Survey: U.S. Protestant pastors reject evolution, split on Earth's age Not surprisingly, more religious Americans are more likely to be creationists. Nearly 70% of respondents who attend church every week said that God created humans in their present form, compared with 25% of people who seldom or never attend church. Among the seldom church-goers, 38% believe that humans evolved with no guidance from God. The numbers also showed a tendency to follow party lines, with nearly 60% of Republicans identifying as creationists, while 41% of Democrats hold the same beliefs. Republicans also seem to be more black-and-white about their beliefs, with only 5% responding that humans evolved with some help from God. That number is much lower than the 19% of both independents and Democrats. According to Newport, a belief in creationism is bucking the majority opinion in the scientific community - that humans evolved over millions of years. "It would be hard to dispute that most scientists who study humans agree that the species evolved over millions of years, and that relatively few scientists believe that humans began in their current form only 10,000 years ago without the benefit of evolution," writes Newport. "Thus, almost half of Americans today hold a belief ... that is at odds with the preponderance of the scientific literature." The USA Today/Gallup telephone poll was conducted May 10-13 with a random sample of 1,012 American adults. The sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. |
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Apparently, 46% of Americans have ceased evolving.
If this is true, then 46% of Americans are flat-out imbeciles. I suspect the percentage is quite a bit higher. This country is in as poor a shape as it is largely because US residents are probably, by far, the most poorly educated people of any developed country. We've squandered enormous numbers of lives and vast resources on idiot, belief-driven campaigns and crusades, while our primary and secondary education further declines and our complacent and stupid population allows our political system to become corrupt beyond repair.
I am shocked it is that high. Only consolation is that it is probably might higher in the bible belt confederacy and much lower in more educated areas like the north east and west coast.
I guess I am in that middle group. I believe mostly in evolution but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of God or Aliens give it a little push here and there.
Religion "rules things out". Science does not rule out the possibility that the Easter Bunny caused evolution.
I agree, personally I lean more towards Aliens giving evolution a nudge here and there.
I am shocked that there are this many completely uneducated and stupid people in this country. What fools! You can believe in God and that He created the Earth and mankind but to dismiss science completely is pure lunancy. I believe that if God created the world and humans, He did it as science as proven through evolution over billions of years.
Let me fix that headline for ya: "Nearly half of Americans are myth-believing dopes"
On the positive side fifty-four percent of Americans are rational human beings.
That's not necessarily true, but it's a nice thought
@Mindstorms
You said, "On the positive side fifty-four percent of Americans are rational human beings."
It looks like it's closer to 15%, unfortunately.
Source: http://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/Hold-Creationist-View-Human-Origins.aspx
I am shocked that there are this many completely uneducated and stupid people in this country. What fools! You can believe in God and that He created the Earth and mankind but to dismiss science completely is pure lunancy. I believe that if God created the world and humans, He did it as science as proven through evolution over billions of years.
Ok America, you can be religious without beleiving your book word for word! Where do the fossils come from? Is the world really supported on the back of a giant tower of tortoises? I need a drink.
starting with a presupposition that Darwin is correct about evolution, and then reviewing the evidence found within living species that occupy the various "stairstep" niches within the eco systems ... it is inevitable that people will take one of two conclusions: 1) evolution if they don't believe in God and 2) creationism if they do believe in God. There is no evidence to prove either is correct ... only assumptions based on the presupposition on the one hand ... and faith in God on the other hand.
But you can believe in God and evolution! It's all about how you interpret the religion. Remember that the Bible was written mostly over 1000 years after JC died; it;s not a first and account. Did Adam and Eve conrtribute to the first chapter? It just doesn't add up. Oh and yes there is evidence to support evolution. That was the whole point of Darwins work! Oh America.it's a long fall.
There is no PROOF that either is correct, but a preponderance of evidence supported by the scientific method (characterization, hypothesis, prediction, experiment) leads to a very high probability that evolution is real.
Demonstrates a unique American capacity for self-delusion.
The Republican plan to keep 'em fat, dumb, and in church seems to be working,
A biy of humor here. When God created us ten thousand years ago, he was not feeling too well. I say that because some animals behave better and are certenly more peacfull. On top that they dont have to worry about heaven or hell.
If you believe in Creationism, then you're not just rejecting the theory of evolution.
You think Biology is wrong. You think. Astronomy is wrong. You think Geology is wrong.
And not just a little bit wrong either, but COMPLETELY wrong.
I have to ask. Do you believe in math?
I am a mathematician. I believe God created man directly. I believe evolutionists have a weak case and a strong propaganda machine.
Couldn't have said it better!
At which university or think-tank are you employed, mr. "mathematician?"
sarcasm/ of course! Math is nothing but a bunch of numbers and junk made up by people who hate god! /sarcasm
In all seriousness this study frightens me in ways no horror movie can. I can only hope (for the sake of our future) that this study is flawed somehow, otherwise we are doomed as a people if we can't see the (IMHO) obvious facts that have been uncovered over the past hundred years.
I do work that I'm committed to not divulge for security reasons. Which is irrelevant to the conversation, but typical of the tactics of Darwinist devotees.
@sciguy
And i don't believe you a mathematician and therefore spread the world you a fake, even if you bring proof, i am right because i say so. That creationism and religion in a nutshell.
So, the most distant object in the Universe is only 6,000 light years away?
So, you reject modern astronomy. It's completely wrong. You also rejct modern Geology and carbon dating etc.
It goes without saying that you reject modern Biology.
SciGuy is one those posers who is in fact a religious nut, pretending to have a credible background, so they can just spin their creationists and IDiot ideology. You can spot them for the mere fact that they just love to lie.
Over the internet no one is 'anybody' – but a fake because that is the truth. Anybody who wants to be suckered into believing that their is an expert on a forum deserves to have his money taken away.
During an economic era when science and technology are becoming ever more important, nearly half of Americans don't accept or understand one of the most fundamental scientific concepts. It's a virtual certainty that their opinions are not be informed by personal inquiry or experts in biology, but by people who have little or no training in the subject.
I don't understand the pride that makes people say "I'm not descended from a monkey, God made me." As if being a human is morally superior to being a monkey! The Gospels say that human beings are so wicked that God had to sacrifice himself in the person of Christ in order to save them from Hell, and even so most humans will reject that sacrifice and end up in Hell anyway. For all eternity. You'll notice that God never felt the need to condemn the monkeys to Hell. Animals never built concentration camps or atomic bombs. Why do humans cling to the idea of being morally superior to animals?
The simple fact is the feeling involved in believing that farce.
Everyone wants to think they are special. It's so natural – as is breathing. But reality is harsh in not recognizing 'you'. Reality doesn't give a crap if you think you are special. You either survive or die.
What I mean is, creationists sometimes say "Evolution means that morally, we're no better than animals," as if animals behave any worse than we do on average. Animals kill, but they also cooperate, protect their children,etc., and they do it without a religion telling them to. It's only human beings who need get divine orders to act decently.
Creationism (that all things were 'set' in the beginning) would explain why gays have not evolved out of society.
Gays haven't "evolved" out of society because straight people keep making gay kids
46% of 1012 Americans. Really? THAT's a good sampling? There are over 300 MILLION Americans (including children, of course), and this article is built off of a survey of a sampling the size of some modern high schools? Article is about shock value and nothing else.
You obviously have never taken statistics. A random telephone survey of 1,000 people is a rather good sample. Calm down.
Agree, surveys and studies are mostly a waste of time without scientific value.
I wish they'd do a survey on how many people hang up the phone when they're called for a survey.
too bad you never took a statistics class..
And you wonder why we lag so far behind the rest of the world in science, math, etc .......
god made us fall behind? 🙂 🙂
Why does the religion/science thing have to be an on/off toggle switch? Isn't it possible that God created evolution?
I don't wonder. It's called govt schools.
@Siara Delyn
yes religion and science don't work together, because of their core idea. Religion believe in faith, or "trust me is true", while science is about "understanding and doing the experiment". Religion say this is fact, science will take that information and break it apart, try to redo it, change it to math, etc... and say if it right or wrong, so no religion and science can not survive together. It neither one or the other.
QUOTE: "Lol god made us fall behind?"
No, our barbaric perception of God made us fall behind.
who lacks behind in sciences, math etc...?
I don't see Russia inventing the iphone, or China coming up with the newest x-ray, or India sending a commercial flight into space...
Don't let Donald Trump convince you that we're behind.
By all accounts, and we don't need a survey for that, we are waaaaaaaaaaay ahead.
"Isn't it possible that God created evolution?"
Don't plead, don't beg of us to accept this ridiculous line of thought.
The one thing – and only one thing – is to provide proof and produce a god. When that is done and only when it is done can you even consider that fallacy. When you do espouse that drivel of "please consider" – you are just being a ridiculous beggar.
Ok, now we have quantified how many imbeciles our country has. Let have them move to the south and have them be their own country so we can move forward as a nation.
Fine by me lets so nuts have their Na Zi Confederacy. The Intelligent part of the country can move on maybe join up with Canada.
I think we did that, and we call those states, the bible states. The problem is that as a state, they have as much power as the other state and when you put all the dumb people together, they breed fast.
I agree. Why compromise with people who are opposite from you? Why not just peacefully divide in half?
As a citizen of Canada I welcome any person who has a firm hold of science into their minds to reside in our country.
The US will be undone by this disease called religion if you're not keen on reading up your history. It happens when people get too fanatical with religion and then falls into a theocracy.
@Answer- can't move there. Too many people who depend on me are firmly rooted here.
And you wonder why we lag so far behind in science, math, etc .......
You'd think that a nation formed by people escaping religious persecution would have formed a little differently. I guess the Europeans back then were right in burning the nutbars.
The reason they were religiously persecuted was because they were distructive, ignorant, and intolerant and no one wanted them around in Europe. Now they are a root of our national character. Kind of like being descended from a line of psychotics.