Poll: Republican Belief In Evolution Has Plummeted In Recent Years

[highplainsdem]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Belief in evolution among Republicans has dropped more than 10 percentage points since 2009, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center.

Pew found that 43 percent of Republicans said they believed humans and other living beings had evolved over time, down from 54 percent in 2009. More (48 percent) said they believed all living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

The percentages for Democrats and independents were considerably more stable: Democratic belief in evolution went from 64 percent in 2009 to 67 percent in 2013; independent belief dipped from 67 percent in 2009 to 65 percent in 2013.

Among all American adults, 60 percent said they believe in evolution, according to Pew, and 33 percent do not.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/poll-republican-belief-evolution

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Direct link to the Pew poll, whose results are just being published today though it was done months ago:

http://www.pewforum.org/2013/12/30/publics-views-on-human-evolution/

[abq e streeter]

1. one of three Democrats don't either? My God, what the hell has happened to us?

[happyslug]

5. Some people will object to the term "Believe"

The reason is simple, "Believe" means you accept it as DOGMA, and as a doctrine of FAITH. I have seen Atheist said NO if the word "Believe" is used, and I have seen people who believe in God make the same objections, even through they accept evolution as the best theory to explain how we came to be on this planet. In fact fundamentalists in the 1850s were among the first to embrace the theory of evolution, saying nothing it in conflicted with the bible for the book of Genesis is allegory anyway and should NOT be taken as factual, but stories to explain how we should live.

The real fight occurred as Social Scientist adopted the theory of evolution to justify what we call Social Darwinism. The Main Line Churches rejected the concept of Social Darwinism and that was followed by the Fundamentalists. Almost all of the opposition to teaching evolution prior to WWII, was tied in with Social Darwinism (William's Jennings Byran's law forbidding the teaching of Human Evolution was tied in with a study he read about the thinking of the German High Command during WWI, and its embrace of Social Darwinism to justify the mass killing of WWI).

Since WWII, Fundamentalism had rejected Bryan's position in the Scope's Monkey Trial (Where he clearly showed the whole book prior to Abraham is a collection of Allegory stories NOT facts), but I am getting off the subject here.

Back onto the subject, thus a 1/3 of the population knows what the word "Believe" means and it looks like 2/3rd do not, again it shows a lack of education that should be corrected.

[oberliner]

21. That term was not used in the survey

Just in the article.

The question was:

Which comes closer to your view? [READ AND RANDOMIZE] Humans and other living things have evolved over time [OR] Humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

[happyslug]

24. I noticed you ignored the two options for answers.

The article says variation of the question was made, but no significant difference based on the different wording. Thus the questioned asked included:

"Which comes closer to your view? Humans have evolved over time or Humans have existed in their present form since the beginning of time",

Which comes closer to your view? Living things have evolved over time or living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

Which comes closer to your view? Animals have evolved over time or Animals have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

PEW reports no difference based on the difference in wording.

But then the people asked were given three options as answers:

Evolved over time,
Existed in present form, or
Don't know

7% said they "don't know", 33% said existed in present form and 60% opt for Evolved over time.

The question is better then I first thought, but given the restrictions in the answers not much better then I first thought. The question avoids the concept of belief, but not by much.

[oberliner]

32. They don't include the word belief either

Was just providing the survey question so you could see that the word belief was in the article but not the survey itself.

[tomg]

10. That is what immediately struck

me. I am used to odd views from fundie Republicans ( the Pew Report has interesting breakdowns; however, I would also like to see a breakdown by region and economics), but that 33% of the Democrats reject evolution as a reasonable scientific theory ( and even when one can qualify that position by accepting evolution with guiding deity) and instead accept the equivalent of "Watch me pull a fully formed, static world out of my hat as soon as I pull a hat ab nihilo" is a bit disconcerting.

[oberliner]

22. Race is also a factor

That could account, in part, for the numbers among Democrats.

That is to say, most African-Americans are Democrats and the majority of them took the "not believing in evolution" position in the survey.

[iandhr]

2. Wow.

And we wonder why other nations are killing us in science.

[LongTomH]

3. Possible hypotheses for these changes......

......at least for Republicans:

One, it may be that as the number of people self-identifying as Republicans diminishes, what's left is the hard-core Bible thumpers.

Two, it may be the effect of anti-science rhetoric coming from the wingnut radio and TV commentators these people listen to.

I strongly suspect it's a mixture of both; it would take more research to find out.

[PassingFair]

12. Or maybe we are all evolving!

[Festivito]

34. One more: It's politics. RWTTanks double down on creationism for loss of gay issues.

They're losing the battle against gays. Soon (later for many) gay issues will be ignored in churches much the way divorces are ignored now.

The right wing needs a moniker to promote themselves without using the words Republican or Democrat. Not only does Evolution and Creationism give them these monikers, it also pays. The Koch brothers love the idea since it also keeps people from looking into reducing pollution and reducing fossil fuel use.

The rhetoric I've heard is that not believing in 6-day creation means you do deny the Bible and deny God. Horsefeathers, but they're giving it a try.

[reACTIONary]

39. Note that "independents" declined...

...in acceptance of evolution. That might be in part due to the influx of the former Republicans.

[TomCADem]

42. I Think It Underscores That Journalists Are Becoming Increasingly Partisan

Rather than educating the public, we just get propaganda that is pushed to advance a political agenda.

[santamargarita]

4. So has their belief in reality!

[adieu]

6. I have a hard time believing that sane, rational

people would change their views and understanding of evolution over the course of 4+ years. One doesn't "believe" in evolution. One understands how evolution works and accepts it as the mechanism for creating the variations in the flora and fauna.

What this claim shows to me is that more and more sane, rational republicans are no longer identifying themselves as republicans. Those who still call themselves republicans when asked in a poll are the few remaining ones who are not sane nor rational.

That 10% swing is not an indication of 10% of republicans changing their views. It's an indication of 10% of erstwhile republicans who no longer call themselves that.

[DuaneBidoux]

43. Agreed. Yours is the most likely explanation IMHO

[alp227]

7. I thought TPM was better than writing "belief in evolution"

Because evolution is SETTLED SCIENCE.

[Bortman33]

9. God help us,

they are becoming more stupid, something I didn't believe was possible.

If they aren't at the bottom of stupid, it is really scary to contemplate what they look like when they finally arrive.

[Mnemosyne]

17. Welcome Bortman33! That was my first thought also. Maybe the increase in CO2, 399.5 ppm, is

having an effect on their brains.

[SoapBox]

19. Or all that Home Skool'n...

Done by brain-washing, bat-shit crazy parents.

And then there is bible thumping by preaching Pervs...and, FuksLyingNews...and...

The list seems to be now endless.

[MsPithy]

11. For years, republicans have inundated their rank and file with emotion.

In fact, they have no ideas, just fear, distrust, hatred, cynicism and anger, 24 hours a day. They have eliminated critical thinking and anything that even approaches the ability to reason.

Controlling the base by manipulating their emotions is easier and quicker and more comprehensive (complete) than explaining policy.

republican voters are captured by authority figures in their party and their religion, and not unlike Stockholm Syndrome, whatever their captors say is what they believe.

[savalez]

13. Abso-effen-lutely!

Well said.

Edit to add that the same culprits somehow simultaneously endow them with a feeling of superiority over other political parties. Quite a skill.

[Bryce Butler]

14. ...

“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” - Neil DeGrasse Tyson

[Mnemosyne]

18. Welcome Bryce! Tyson nails it.

[Skittles]

15. maybe THEY are finally evolving

we can only hope

[truthisfreedom]

16. Republican IQ plummets...

Anyone surprised?

[abq e streeter]

20. And not much wiggle room anymore for that either.

Unless below zero is a valid IQ #.

[blkmusclmachine]

23. Go, Fox News

[jwirr]

25. So they do not believe in evolution but they believe in survival of the fittest?

[Julian Englis]

46. But doesn't belief in conservative Jesus make someone the fittest? ;-) n/t

[jwirr]

49. Of course but only their jesus. The greedy one.

[brewens]

26. That 33% is bolstered by people that know better but are intentionally skewing the poll.

You find that with a lot of birthers too. They knew, but to keep bringing up the Kenyan thing played the base.

[DallasNE]

27. Incredible

48 percent (of Republicans) said they believed all living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.

Do they not believe in carbon aging? What is the age of dinosaur bones versus the earliest human bones? And what about Neanderthal and modern human bones and what about the period of overlap where DNA shows some mixing may have occurred. I mean, are nearly 50% of Republicans truly that brain dead? Is the Bible one of the worst books ever written because of the damage it has done? It is a work of fiction.

[benh57]

37. Do they believe in computers?

I'm curious what the results would be if you asked if they believed in stuff like quantum mechanics -- the effects of which are required to make things like our modern computers function.

I suspect the percentages would be similar.

Then ask them how they think their laptop works.

[bowens43]

28. true believers are idiots.

bullshit is bullshit calling it religion doesn't make it something other than bullshit.

the whole we need to respect their beliefs thing is bullshit too. I do not respect the beliefs of people who believe in magical, omnipotent invisible beings.

[SunSeeker]

29. Republicans really are measurably more horrible than any other time in the last 30 years.

I see it in the politics. I see in my Republican relatives, who have either withdrawn from family functions that involve progressive relatives, or make life hell for them when they bother to come. This rightward tilt into insanity has terrible impacts, both on the national and personal level.

[CanonRay]

30. This actually makes some sense

since a large number of still sane Republicans have left the party, and no longer self-identify as a Republican. What's left is crazier and crazier.

[riversedge]

31. Republicans are in the process of devoling.

[paulkienitz]

33. more like, evolutionists' belief in republicanism has plummeted

[broadcaster75201]

35. These people are DANGEROUS. What I want to know is ...

how can ANYONE not a TeaBagging moron NOT vote? How can Dems not turn out at a 90% rate? We are as culpable as these drooling, slavering fools for the nightmare in which we find ourselves.

[dregstudios]

36. Devolution

Here in TN, they have taken steps though new legislation to allow creationism back into the classroom. This law turns the clock back nearly 100 years here in the seemingly unprogressive South and is simply embarrassing. There is no argument against the Theory of Evolution other than that of religious doctrine. The Monkey Law only opens the door for fanatic Christianity to creep its way back into our classrooms. You can see my visual response as a Tennessean to this absurd law on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2012/04/pulpit-in-classroom-biblical-agenda-in.html with some evolutionary art and a little bit of simple logic.

[okaawhatever]

38. For those who didn't remember Tennessee is the home of the Scopes Monkey Trial. This is Scopes

Monkey Trial part II. I like your artwork. I'm in Tennessee as well.

[Pterodactyl]

40. Interesting that a third of Dems don't believe.

[DuaneBidoux]

41. The number of people who self id as Republicans has also declined.

I suspect there are a number of conservatives who are increasingly embarrassed to belong to the Anti-Science Party and so have slithered away and refuse to now call themselves Republican.

Few people will go from a position of believing in evolution to not believing thus I think the most probable answer is that people who do believe in science are increasingly uncomfortable being (or at least being called) Republicans.

[onehandle]

44. Evolution has happened in our lifetimes, morons. nt

[Julian Englis]

45. Dinosaurs who don't believe in evolution

Is this irony, denial, or their vain attempt at self preservation?

[olddad56]

47. Human beings belief in Republicans has also plummeted.

[yellowcanine]

48. And the belief that Armstrong stepped on the moon is also

Last edited Thu Jan 2, 2014, 10:39 AM - Edit history (1)

on shaky ground among baggers.

[seveneyes]

50. They need more time to evolve

Good things come to those who wait.