Public acceptance of evolution in the United States, 1985–2020

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.

European first-year university students accept evolution but lack substantial knowledge about it: a standardized European cross-country assessment

“…Much research in evolution education has been conducted in the United States (Miller et al 2021), possibly due to the predominant public opposition to evolution (Brenan 2019) and the long history of creationism in the country (Scott 2008). In contrast, respondents of European countries have shown comparably high acceptance of evolution (European Commission 2005;Miller et al 2006).…”

“…These differences in research findings reflect the intensely debated measurement issues in evolution education (Beniermann 2019; Barnes et al 2019;McCain and Kampourakis 2018;Mead et al 2019;Nehm and Mead 2019;Novick and Catley 2012;), such as the potential for biased results based on the measurement instruments used (Barnes et al 2019), neglect of measurement standards (Mead et al 2019), missing definitions of key constructs (Ha et al 2021b;Konnemann et al 2012;McCain and Kampourakis 2018), or a sole focus on natural selection while addressing the multidimensional construct of knowledge about evolution (Kuschmierz et al 2020a). Most research in evolution education has been conducted in the United States (e.g., Miller et al 2021), while there is comparably scarce empirical data on evolution acceptance and knowledge in Europe (Kuschmierz et al 2020b).…”

Validity aspects in measuring evolution acceptance: Evidence from surveys of preservice biology teachers and creationists

“…For instance, many Christian and Muslim religious cultures may deny biological evolution because they believe that a deity has created all living organisms separate from one another, including humankind (Coyne, 2012). The influence of religious identity on evolution acceptance is especially crucial in highly religious communities and countries, such as the U.S., where creationism is a frequent belief system (Miller et al, 2022; Scott, 2009). In contrast, this relationship might play a different role in more secular European countries like Germany, where only a minority shares creationist beliefs (Beniermann, 2019; Elwert & Radermacher, 2017).…”

Science, religion, and nonreligion: Engaging subdisciplines to move further beyond mythbusting

“…Within this context, religion became a variable of interest, with the potential to impact knowledge and acceptance of scientific concepts. Therefore, analysis and discussion of religion or religious identity in this field tends to frame it as a hindrance, which explains resistance to publicly debated areas of science such as evolution (Francis and Greer, 1999;Hildering et al, 2013;Miller et al, 2006;Miller et al, 2021), pre-implantation genetic testing (Allum et al, 2014), or stem cell research (Allum et al, 2017;Ho et al, 2008). While scholars have used the concept of social identity within PUS and PEST to help explain public reactions during scientific controversies (Wynne, 2003), little thought has been given to the "cultural life" of science and how it can be a meaningful part of people's identities, values, and beliefs (Jones et al, 2020a).…”