Britons and Canadians More Likely to Endorse Evolution than Americans

by Angus Reid | September 5, 2012 11:50 am

People in Britain and Canada are more likely to vouch for the theory of evolution than their counterparts in the United States, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of representative national samples, two thirds of Britons (69%) and three-in-five Canadians (61%) think human beings evolved from less advanced life forms over millions of years—a view shared by only 30 per cent of Americans.

In the United States, 51 per cent of respondents believe God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years. This opinion is shared by just 22 per cent of Canadians and 17 per cent of Britons.

Regional Breakdowns

In the United States, respondents in the Northeast are more likely to think human beings evolved (37%) than residents of the South (24%). The proportion of Americans who endorse evolution shifts with age, from a high of 35 per cent for respondents aged 18-to-34 to a low of 23 per cent for those over the age of 55.

In Canada, Quebecers are the most likely to endorse evolution (71%), while Albertans (48%) are the least likely. In Britain, respondents in the South of England (15%) are the least likely to believe in creationism, compared to 23 per cent for Londoners.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)[1]

Methodology – Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among:

– 1,002 American adults who are Springboard America panelists, from September 4 to September 5, 2012.
– 2,010 British adults who are Springboard UK panelists, from August 30 to August 31, 2012.
– 1,510 Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists, from August 30 to August 31, 2012.

The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/-2.2% for Great Britain, +/-2.5% for Canada, and +/-3.1% for the United States. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of each country
.

Endnotes:
  1. Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF): http://www.angusreidglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2012.09.05_CreEvo.pdf

Source URL: https://angusreid.org/britons-and-canadians-more-likely-to-endorse-evolution-than-americans/